CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Kronos Quartet
Dohee Lee
Homayoun Sakhi
Alim Qasimov Ensemble

Zankel Hall
Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 7:30 PM

Kronos Quartet
·· David Harrington, Violin
·· John Sherba, Violin
·· Hank Dutt, Viola
·· Jeffrey Zeigler, Cello
Dohee Lee, Vocals, Shruti, Saenghwang, and Taepyungso
Homayoun Sakhi, Afghan Rubâb
Salar Nader, Tabla
Abbos Kosimov, Doyra
Alim Qasimov Ensemble
·· Alim Qasimov, Vocals and Daf
·· Fargana Qasimova, Vocals and Daf
·· Rafael Asgarov, Balaban
·· Rauf Islamov, Kamancha
·· Zaki Valiyev, Tar
·· Javiden Nabiyev, Naghara

DOHEE LEE (realized by J. GARCHIK) Sinawi (NY Premiere)
DOHEE LEE Meegung (Labyrinth) (NY Premiere)
HOMAYOUN SAKHI (arr. S. PRUTSMAN) Rangin Kaman (The Rainbow) (NY Premiere)
JAHANGIROV (arr. A. QASIMOV/J. GARCHIK) Köhlen Atim (My spirited horse) (US Premiere)
(arr. A. QASIMOV/J. GARCHIK) Peyman Ettik (I gave my word) (US Premiere)
OKHUNDOVA (arr. A. QASIMOV/J. GARCHIK) Mehriban Olaq (Let's be kind) (US Premiere)
SAID RUSTAMOV (arr. A. QASIMOV/J. GARCHIK) Getme, Getme (Don't Go, Don't Go) (US Premiere)
(arr. A. QASIMOV/J. GARCHIK) Qashlarin Kamandir (Your eyebrows are bow-like) (US Premiere)

Encore:
(arr. A. QASIMOV/J. GARCHIK) Leyla

Perspectives: Kronos Quartet

Program is approximately 2 hours, 15 minutes, including one intermission

Program Notes:

DOHEE LEE
Sinawi (realized by Jacob Garchik)

Sinawi music is written for the gods. Because this music communicates humanity's desires to the gods, as well as the gods' wishes for humanity, it is mysterious, intricate music of life that merges eternity and the present. At times bringing forth tears from deep sorrow, and at others transforming that sorrow into a sublime reconciliation and soothing of grief, this music gave me the opportunity to work in a new perspective—in the string quartet form.

—Dohee Lee



DOHEE LEE
Meegung (Labyrinth)

Meegung is composed for the reunification of Korea, which has been divided for 65 years now. Meegung (Labyrinth) is like the Demilitarized Zone, with one entrance and one exit. This music is the vibrations of people's voices and the breath of stories and mysteries, with Shamanic voices and shruti.

—Dohee Lee



Homayoun Sakhi
Rangin Kaman (Rainbow) (arr. Stephen Prutsman)

I call this piece Rangin Kaman, which means "rainbow" in Farsi/Dari (Persian). I was inspired to write this piece in order to express and evoke the colors, beauty, diversity, and sheer wonder of this natural phenomenon. Throughout history and in modern times, we have seen the rainbow reflected in a variety of vastly different cultures and philosophies, as well as in many beautiful eye-pleasing pieces of art.

The rainbow's beauty, variety, and ethereal textures are represented in Rangin Kaman by a combination of different rhythmic and musical styles from distinctive regions of my native Afghanistan, blended with elements of Western music. Afghanistan is a combination of different ethnicities, dialogues, faces, landscapes, and cultures; this piece weaves a musical tapestry to reflect that diversity and brings to light my feelings for the nation of my birth.

—Homayoun Sakhi



Arrangements by ALIM QASIMOV and JACOB GARCHIK

Jahangir Jahangirov
Köhlen Atim (My Spirited Horse)

(Unattributed)
Peyman Ettik (I Gave My Word)

Shafiga Okhundova
Mehriban Olaq (Let's Be Kind)

Said Rustamov
Getme, Getme (Don't Leave, Don't Leave)

(Unattributed)
Qashlarin Kamandir (Your Eyebrows Are Bow-like)

These vibrant arrangements of five songs from Azerbaijan fuse multiple layers—both old and new—of composition, arrangement, and improvisation. In each case, the oldest layer is a strophic (verse-form) song composed during the mid-20th century, when Azerbaijan, like other Soviet republics, cultivated an active tradition of popular songwriting that blended local and European musical instruments and styles. Though the composers of three of the five songs are known, their works became a part of oral musical tradition, with the result that performers came up with their own arrangements. For Getme, Getme and Qashlarin Kamandir, Alim Qasimov's arrangements include, in addition to the original strophic melody and lyrics, improvised vocal and instrumental interludes that feature couplets from classical Azerbaijani poetry (ghazals) performed in the style of mugham, the art-music tradition of Azerbaijan.

The Alim Qasimov Ensemble recorded performances of these arrangements and sent them to Kronos arranger Jacob Garchik, who built on Qasimov's elaborations while scoring the songs for quartet. Garchik's scores not only skillfully meld the four Western and four Azerbaijani instruments into an integral octet that accompanies the singers, but they also depart from the script provided by the songs to offer short compositions for Kronos—instrumental intermezzos that evoke the signature styles of other composers who have represented the East: the lush harmonic textures of Rimsky-Korsakov, the brooding modal melodies of Bartók, and the motoric ostinato patterns of Philip Glass.

In the end, of course, it is not only a score that melds together different musical instruments and traditions, but also the empathy that develops among the music's performers. Speaking of the Alim Qasimov Ensemble, David Harrington said, "They're tremendously generous musicians and people, and you really feel that in playing with them." The ebullient results of the Kronos–Qasimov collaboration confirm that the feeling expressed by Harrington is mutual.

—Theodore Levin, adapted from liner notes to Rainbow: Music of Central Asia, Vol. 8 (Smithsonian Folkways).

More Information:

Musicians worldwide have traditionally borne the responsibility of channeling the spiritual, and of being ambassadors of their cultural heritage. With this program, Kronos travels from the shamanistic performance of Korean artist Dohee Lee, to the varied landscapes and textures created by Afghan rubâb master Homayoun Sakhi, to Alim and Fargana Qasimov’s ecstatic spiritual expression of mugam from Azerbaijan.

Kronos Quartet
·· David Harrington, Violin
·· John Sherba, Violin
·· Hank Dutt, Viola
·· Jeffrey Zeigler, Cello
Kronos Quartet

David Harrington, Violin
John Sherba, Violin
Hank Dutt, Viola
Jeffrey Zeigler, Cello

For more than 30 years, San Francisco's Kronos Quartet has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to expanding the range and context of the string quartet. In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential ensembles of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 45 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, collaborating with many of the world's most eclectic composers and performers, and commissioning more than 650 works and arrangements for string quartet. Kronos's work also has garnered numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance (2004) and Musicians of the Year (2003) from Musical America.

Since 1973, Kronos has built a compellingly diverse repertoire for string quartet, performing and recording works by 20th-century masters (Bartók, Shostakovich, Webern), contemporary composers (Aleksandra Vrebalov, John Adams, Alfred Schnittke), jazz legends (Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk), and artists from even farther afield (Azeri vocalist Alim Qasimov, avant-garde saxophonist John Zorn).

Integral to Kronos's work is a series of long-running, in-depth collaborations with many of the world's foremost composers, including Terry Riley, whose work with Kronos includes Salome Dances for Peace, the multimedia production Sun Rings, and 2005's The Cusp of Magic; Philip Glass, recording his complete string quartets and scores to films like Mishima; Azerbaijan's Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, who was featured on the 2005 release Mugam Sayagi: Music of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh; Steve Reich, whose Kronos-recorded Different Trains earned a Grammy; Argentina's Osvaldo Golijov, whose work with Kronos includes both compositions and extensive arrangements; and many more.

In addition to composers, Kronos counts numerous artists from around the world among its regular collaborators, including Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man; legendary Bollywood "playback singer" Asha Bhosle; Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq; Mexican rockers Café Tacuba; and the Romanian gypsy band Taraf de Haïdouks. Kronos has performed live with the likes of icons Allen Ginsberg, Modern Jazz Quartet, Tom Waits, David Barsamian, Howard Zinn, Betty Carter, and David Bowie, and has appeared on recordings by such diverse talents as Nine Inch Nails, Amon Tobin, Dan Zanes, DJ Spooky, Dave Matthews, Nelly Furtado, Rokia Traoré, Joan Armatrading, and Don Walser. Kronos's music features prominently in other media, including film (Requiem for a Dream, 21 Grams, Heat) and dance, with choreographers such as Merce Cunningham and Eiko and Koma.

Kronos spends five months of each year on tour, appearing in concert halls, clubs, and festivals around the world, including BAM Next Wave Festival, Carnegie Hall, the Barbican in London, WOMAD, UCLA's Royce Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Shanghai Concert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Kronos is equally prolific and wide-ranging on disc. The ensemble's expansive discography on Nonesuch Records includes such collections as Pieces of Africa (1992), a showcase of African-born composers, which simultaneously topped Billboard's Classical and World Music lists; 2000's Kronos Caravan, whose musical "travels" span North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East; 1998's 10-disc anthology, Kronos Quartet: 25 Years; Nuevo (2002), a Grammy- and Latin Grammy–nominated celebration of Mexican culture; and the 2003 Grammy-winner, Alban Berg's Lyric Suite.

Kronos's recording and performances reveal only a fraction of the group's commitment to new music. As a non-profit organization, the Kronos Quartet / Kronos Performing Arts Association is committed to mentoring emerging professional performers, and to creating, performing, and recording new works.

Dohee Lee, Vocals, Shruti, Saenghwang, and Taepyungso
Dohee Lee

Born on Jeju Island in South Korea, where shamanic tradition is very strong, Dohee Lee learned Korean dance, Korean percussion, and vocals in the tradition of Kyunggi-Do. Her art now focuses on fusing these traditional forms with contemporary elements. Each piece and performance blends Eastern and modern Western musical forms and contemporary dance languages into works that emphasize the ritualistic and healing aspects of music and dance.

A winner at the 2008–2009 Isadora Duncan Dance Awards, dancer-musician-vocalist Lee is the founder of the groundbreaking Puri Project. Born out of her desire to explore new art forms, the group was created by Lee in 2004, with the goal to present a fusion of dance, music, spoken word, visual art, and audience participation.

Since her arrival in the US, she has been a vital contributor to both the traditional and contemporary Asian American cultural arts landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area. Lee is the resident artist and instructor of the Korean Youth Cultural Center, a community-based organization focused on Korean arts. She has performed at Asian American Dance Performances in San Francisco and the Asian American jazz festivals in San Francisco and Chicago.

Lee has collaborated with Shinichi Iova-Koga's inkBoat; jazz musicians Francis Wong, Jon Jang, Tatsu Aoki, Lawrence Ochs, and Scott Amendola; and contemporary musicians such as Joan Jeanrenaud, Okkyung Lee, and Theresa Wong. Upcoming collaborations include projects with Nanos Operetta, Yannis Adoniou's KUNST-STOFF, and renowned choreographer-dancer Anna Halprin.

Homayoun Sakhi, Afghan Rubâb
Homayoun Sakhi

Since immigrating to the US in 2002, Homayoun Sakhi has established a worldwide reputation as the outstanding Afghan rubâb player of his generation. His artistry demonstrates how an imaginative musician working within a traditional musical idiom can enrich and expand its expressive power, while still respecting the taste and sensibility passed down from master musicians of the past. Sakhi's performance style has been shaped not only by the musical traditions to which Afghan music is geographically and historically linked, but also by his lively interest in contemporary music from around the world.

Born in Kabul into one of Afghanistan's leading musical families, Sakhi studied rubâb with his father, Ustad Ghulam Sakhi, in the traditional form of apprenticeship known as ustad-shagird ("master-apprentice"). Ghulam Sakhi was heir to a musical lineage that began in the 1860s, when the ruler of Kabul, Amir Sher Ali Khan, brought classically trained musicians from India to perform at his court. Over the next hundred years, Indian musicians thrived there, and Kabul became a center for the performance of North Indian classical music. Musicians in Kabul also cultivated the art of playing the rubâb, which was prominent in regional folk music. Today the people of Afghanistan regard the rubâb with great pride as their national instrument.

Sakhi's study of the rubâb was interrupted in 1992, when his entire family moved to the Pakistani city of Peshawar, a place of refuge for many Afghans from the political chaos and violence that enveloped their country in the years following the Soviet invasion of 1979. Sakhi currently resides in Fremont, California, a major cultural center of Afghan émigré life, where he opened a school to teach Afghan music to children. His busy performance schedule regularly takes him to cities around the world. Among his recordings are two releases on Smithsonian Folkways' Music of Central Asia series, The Art of the Afghan Rubâb: Vol. 3 and the soon-to-be-released Rainbow: Music of Central Asia, Vol. 8.

Salar Nader, Tabla
Salar Nader

Salar Nader, of Afghan heritage, was born in Hamburg, Germany, and raised in the US. At the age of seven, Nader attended his first tabla class in Berkeley, California, taught by Ustad Zakir Hussain, who has since remained Nader's Guru. Nader has appeared frequently on television; on one memorable occasion when he was just 11 years old, he appeared with noted Afghan vocalist Ustad Mawaash. Nader participated in the Monterey Music Festival with sarangi master Ustad Sultan Khan and Rob Wasserman, and he is featured on the album Space Island, on which he played with Sultan Khan Saheb and Wasserman.

Nader discovered a passion for accompanying Kathak dance while accompanying Pandit Chitresh Das's classes and principal dancers in the Cchandam Dance Company. Currently, Nader collaborates with the legendary Asian underground DJ Cheb i Sabbah, as well as the Fareed Haque Group. He also performs with the Rumi Ensemble and the Afghan Orchestra, led by Ustad Mawaash.

Abbos Kosimov, Doyra
Abbos Kosimov

Abbos Kosimov was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to a musical family. As a youth, his older brother, Umar, introduced him to the honored Uzbek doyra artist Tuychi Inogomov, at whose school Kosimov then studied. He graduated from the College of Culture and Music, where he studied with Mamurjon Vahabov, as well as from the Tashkent State Institute of Culture. In 1991, he won the second prize in the Central Asia and Kazakhstan Competition of Percussion Instruments. In 1994, Kosimov established his own doyra school, which currently has more than 100 students. From 1994 to 1998, he taught at the Tashkent State Institute of Culture, and in 1998, he established the ABBOS group, which features Uzbek instruments and is popular both in Uzbekistan and abroad. In 2001, in honor of the 10th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence, Kosimov was awarded an Honored Artist of Uzbekistan medal.

Since moving to the US in 2005, Kosimov has performed with Randy Gloss's percussion group Hands On'Semble and participated with his group of doyra players at the 2006 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Austin. He has recorded with Stevie Wonder and performs internationally with Zakir Hussain. Kosimov recently created the first instructional DVD on the doyra.

Alim Qasimov Ensemble
·· Alim Qasimov, Vocals and Daf
·· Fargana Qasimova, Vocals and Daf
·· Rafael Asgarov, Balaban
·· Rauf Islamov, Kamancha
·· Zaki Valiyev, Tar
·· Javiden Nabiyev, Naghara
Alim and Fargana Qasimov

Alim Qasimov and his daughter Fargana exemplify the explosive artistic energy that results when a powerful musical model ignites the spark of young talent. "To be a musician, there has to be a fire burning in you," says the elder Qasimov. "It's either there or it isn't. I'm convinced that if young people have this spark—call it inspiration or spiritual fire—they can perform any kind of music. Whatever it is, they'll stand out."

Fargana Qasimova's talent gravitated naturally toward the music she heard from her father: Azerbaijani classical music, known as mugham, and the repertoire of popular bardic songs sung by ashiqs, or singer-songwriters who might be considered modern-day troubadours. Both kinds of music are featured in this evening's performance.

The Qasimovs are accompanied by a quartet of young musicians whose talent was shaped both by formal music education and immersion in Azerbaijani oral tradition. "When I meet with the musicians in my ensemble," says Alim Qasimov, "there's an atmosphere that starts to nourish us that comes from beyond our own will, and that's the source of the unpredictability in our music. It's almost a feeling of ecstasy that leads to a kind of meditation."

In 1999, Alim Qasimov was awarded the prestigious IMC–UNESCO International Music Prize for performers—the same award received in previous years by Ravi Shankar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Yehudi Menuhin, and Benny Goodman. He performs regularly in major concert venues throughout the world and has collaborated with pop and classical artists, including Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble.

The Alim Qasimov Ensemble appears on the Kronos Quartet's 2009 album Floodplain, and on the upcoming album Rainbow: Music of Central Asia, Vol. 8 (Smithsonian Folkways), featuring studio recordings of their collaboration with the Kronos Quartet.