“The surprise surrounding the world premiere of ‘Common Ground,’ the first time that choreographer Alonzo King has worked with Kronos Quartet, is that these two signature Bay Area institutions haven’t previously joined forces,” writes Andrew Gilbert in Monday’s (10/1) Mercury News (California). In San Francisco this month, “the new work is paired with the revival of ‘Handel,’ King’s 2005 exploration of George Frideric Handel’s intricate Baroque structures…. For ‘Common Ground,’ King has gleaned five pieces from the Kronos Performing Arts Association’s ‘Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire,’ … an ongoing commissioning project and educational initiative … conceived to provide aspiring amateur and early-career professional string quartets with material to hone the skills required to play contemporary music…. King selected a diverse program … for ‘Common Ground,’ with Dutch composer Merlijn Twaalfhoven’s ‘Play’; Dutch-born, Israeli-raised Yotam Haber’s ‘From the Book’; Polish composer Aleksander Kosciów’s ‘Hílathi’ and Secret Chiefs 3 guitarist Trey Spruance’s ‘Séraphîta: I. Séraphîta’ and ‘Séraphîta: II. Le Baphomet.’ ” Says Kronos violinist and leader David Harrington, “Working with Alonzo King has felt like something that should and would happen. It’s going to be very vibrant and musical. We will be on stage playing, behind the dancers.”
Posted October 4, 2018
