Caravan [Import]

This is mostly middle eastern/central europe stuff and even if I THINK I know way some argentinian/portuguise tracks are in this (because of that argentininan tango has it roots in middle europe.. portugal cobining bandelon with portuguese fado) it feels misplaced here but artisticially it is very good performed anyway and... hows about "Miserlou Twist" then.. well composer of that old hit has his roots in Libanon so.. :-).

Anyway is this very good, fun, well played and sound, production is also something extra.

You be pleased with this if you like stringquartets with more of a folklore style but my advice is that you by this togheter with Nuevo then you have two great great discs.

People used to Kronos cooperation with Glass, Steve Riech should like this but it is def. NOT minimalism att all.

Then I heard of Kronos Quartet. They were raved about on a movie review for "Requiem for a Dream," which they are mostly responsible for the entire score on. So, I decided to give them a bit of a chance. I bought three of their albums, "Early Music," and "Kronos Quartet performs Phillip Glass." The most important of all of these is "Caravan."

The last CD I listened to, I was a little afraid to, because I figured I'd enjoy Western pieces a little more, and probably wouldn't like the more 'world' sound this album seems to say it has.

I couldn't have been more wrong, from the opening track, "Pannoia Boundless," I was in love, raving about it to everyone I knew. Every track seems to have an energy that oozes from within it, these dynamics that manage to grab me and toss me around every time. Even the weakest track, being "Cortejo Funebre en el Monte Diablo," because of the horribly synth-sounding beats, horns, and bells, still has a certain power after you get past the horrible intro of the song.

Either way, Kronos Caravan is a great listen for anyone just dabbling in classical string quartets and wants something a little more high power and intrusive than your average "background music."

Osvaldo Golijov's arrangements excel at highlighting various effects of instrumental combinations. That's a plus. However, these performances are mostly shorn of whatever vitality is inherent in the compositions, by the quartet's lack of rhythmic unity and attack - some of these takes sound like tentative rehearsals. The worst in this respect has to be "Aaj Ki Raat". Anyone who knows Indian film music is aware of its energy and manic quality. This performance, however, has none of that, opting instead for a navel-gazing lack of dynamism that actually serves to bury the melodic theme, in lieu of which we are given the sound of tablas, which even Zakir Hussain can't make jive with the ennervated ensemble.

Not surprisingly, the only impassioned performance is "Turceasca", likely because most of the music is played by Taraf de Haidouks, a Romanian Gypsy ensemble that lends its "quaint" and "primitive" spunk to the tastemaker quartet, producing a "rousing, olde country" stewe.

Anyone with an interest in music beyond her/his borders should pick up the real thing, spend a little money, force her/himself to get used to its strangeness, and maybe she/he will come away a little wiser. Oh, yes, purchase an honest classical disc next time, as well.