Cal Performances presents Kronos Quartet with Mahsa Vahdat Zellerbach Hall Auditorium
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94305 USA
7:30 PM, Thursday, December 2, 2021

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Part I: Three pieces from Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire

• Peni Candra Rini (arr. Jacob Garchik): Maduswara‡
• Terry Riley (b.1935): Third Movement from This Assortment of Atoms — One Time Only!
• Missy Mazzoli: Enthusiasm Strategies‡
• Angélique Kidjo (arr. Jacob Garchik): YanYanKilYan Senamido #1‡ (World Premiere)
  ‡ Written for Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire

Part II: Kronos Quartet & Masha Vahdat

• Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Sahba Aminikia): The Sun Risesª
• Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Atabak Elyasi): Vaya, Vaya†
• Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Sahba Aminikia): Placelessª
• Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Atabak Elyasi): I Was Deadª
  † Written or ª Arranged for Kronos

[7:30 PM] {lights down, announcements, performers out}

1. [7:32 PM] Peni Candra Rini (arr. Jacob Garchik): Maduswara
   [7:44 PM] {brief talk from DH}
2. [7:45 PM] Angélique Kidjo (arr. Jacob Garchik): YanYanKilYan Senamido #1 (World Premiere)
   [7:48 PM] {brief talk from DH}
3. [7:49 PM] [Terry Riley](http://terryriley.net/) (b.1935): Third Movement from This Assortment of Atoms — One Time Only!
   [8:02 PM] {brief talk from DH}
4. [8:03 PM] Missy Mazzoli: Enthusiasm Strategies
   [8:09 PM] {brief talk from DH}
5. [8:10 PM] Angélique Kidjo (arr. Jacob Garchik): YanYanKilYan Senamido #2 (World Premiere)
   [8:14 PM] {section ends; brief pause for MV to enter and get ready}

[8:15 PM] {DH introduces MV}

1. [8:16 PM] Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Sahba Aminikia): The Sun Rises: I the Sun Rises
2. [8:n PM] Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Sahba Aminikia): The Sun Rises II: Vanishing Lines
3. [8:n PM] Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Sahba Aminikia): The Sun Rises III: My Ruthless Companion
   [8:30 PM] {brief talk from MV}
4. [8:34 PM] Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Atabak Elyasi): Vaya, Vaya
5. [8:40 PM] Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Sahba Aminikia): Placeless
6. [8:47 PM] Mahsa Vahdat (arr. Atabak Elyasi): I Was Dead
   [8:51 PM] {show ends}

Kronos Quartet

• Hank Dutt: viola, percussion;
• David Harrington: violin;
• John Sherba: violin;
• Sunny Jungin Yang: cello, percussion.

• Mahsa Vahdat: vox.

With hall lighting kept very low, it was darn near impossible for me to take any notes during the show tonight, so with the exception of the timing info, I didn't try, and instead spent most of the event with my eyes closed, listening deeply.

The first part was good, but nothing struck me as particularly amazing. With a backing track of insect and ambient weather noises, the first tune certainly evoked Indonesia: it was nice to be swept away from the mundane right away! I liked the second of Angélique Kidjo's pieces a bit more than the first; being separated, it's hard to compare them, but #1 seemed to end before anything much happened, while #2 had a rolling groove that was easy to follow. Terry Riley's piece seemed to come with a very faint backing track of Terry talking and/or singing now and then – just often enough to catch my ear and make me wonder about, but not constant enough to follow separately from the quartet.

The second part, featuring Mahsa Vahdat, was truly transcendent: she's an amazing singer! While there was nothing wrong with the accompaniment by Kronos, I'd like to hear her in a more traditional setting at some point: better keep my lookout for that!

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Program Notes or program notes

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

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Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2021 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2021 event list! ☸ On to the next event!