The acclaimed Kronos Quartet will be in Richmond this weekend, presenting "At War With Ourselves - 400 Years of You" in the Modlin Center at the University of Richmond. This special concert is Saturday evening, January 21st at 7:30pm.
A rhapsodic modern day paean spun from the skin of history for string quartet, chorus, and narrator, the work features a libretto by National Book Award-winning poet Nikky Finney inspired by her 2013 poem “The Battle of and for the Black Face Boy.” The music was composed by Michael Abels, composer for the Jordan Peele films Us and Get Out. The piece explores race relations, social justice, and civil rights in 21st century America. Finney says the work is addressed to “both black and white, both enslaved and free, bystander and non-bystander. We were then and now, At War With Ourselves. All of us, one human battlefield."
I recently spent some time talking with violinist and founder of the Kronos Quartet David Harrington, who talked about the ensemble's in-depth work with commissioning projects and in particular this latest undertaking.
Yours in good music,
Mike Goldberg
Classical Host, VPM Music