The composer made this arrangement of the Third String Quartet for string orchestra in March 2003. The first performance was given by the Eos Orchestra New York conducted by Ken Selden in the Concert Hall Ethical CulturalSociety New York City on 24 April 2003.Quoting composer: In the summer of 1989 I composed a choral work Out of the Ruins for Agnieszka Piotrowska’s BBC2 documentary which dealt with the physical and emotional responsesof some of the inhabitants of Leninakhan to the earthquake which devastated Armenia the previous December. When he heard the recording of the work that I made with the Holy Echmiadzin Chorus under the fervent conducting of KhorenMeykhanejian Alex Balanescu suggested turning Out of the Ruins into a string quartet. There seemed no reason or opportunity to do this until I felt the need to add to the intensity of my experiences in Armenia the no lessprofound experience of witnessing the images of the Romanian revolution on television during the latter part of December 1989.Just as the structure of my Third String Quartet (1990) may connect it with the First so they alsoshare a debt to Thurston Dart (my professor at King’s College London between 1961 and 1965). It was Dart who had the inspiration to send me to Romania in 1965 ostensibly to study folk music. The volumes of transcriptions that Ibrought back with me had remained unopened until with this proposed ‘celebratory’ string quartet (though at the time it was difficult to know quite what to celebrate in postrevolutionary Romania) an occasion arose where I coulduse this material in what seemed to me was a non-exploitative manner. The compositional procedure was as follows: to take Out of the Ruins as a template on which the Romanian vocal or instrumental music would besuperimposed quite often stretched into new intervallic shapes through the demands of the completely pre-formed harmonic structure.

Contemporary String Quartet Repertoire For Flourishing Ensembles-The Explore series is part of three progressive collections of contemporary string quartet repertoire from leading composers to encourage and facilitate the development of ensemble playing. Compiled and edited by Liz Partridge each volume contains graded works commissioned especially for this series designed for quartets formed of players of similar ability. Featuring a mixture of musical styles and genres each piece contains different elements and techniques to consolidate and enhance the players’ skills as soloists and as ensemble members. An accompanying CD provides demonstration recordings of all included pieces. Minus-one tracks are available to downloadonline to allow for individual practice between rehearsals. Explore Series: Contemporary string quartet repertoire for flourishing ensembles. Music for players of grade 4-5 standard with some ensemble playing experience. Featuring expanded key selections more complex rhythms and simple introductions to extended techniques.

Contemporary String Quartet Repertoire For New and Developing Ensembles-The Discover series is part of three progressive collections of contemporary string quartet repertoire from leading composers to encourage and facilitate the development of ensemble playing. Compiled and edited by Liz Partridge each volume contains graded works commissioned especially for this series designed for quartets formed of players of similar ability. Featuring a mixture of musical styles and genres each piece contains different elements and techniques to consolidate and enhance the players’ skills as soloists and as ensemble members. An accompanying CD provides demonstration recordings of all included pieces. Minus-one tracks are availableto download online to allow for individual practice between rehearsals. Discover Series: Contemporary string quartet repertoire for new and developing ensembles. An introduction to quartet ensemble playing for string players of grade 1-3 standard. Familiar keys common rhythms and transparent musical forms ensure the short pieces and miniatures featured within Discover are accessible to all. Emphasis is firmly focussed on playing together as a unit.

Arrangements by Osvaldo Golijov-During the first forty years of Kronos we have tried to expand the range of what an experience of String Quartet music might be. Kronos has been bringing elements from a wider expanse of the world of music into our concerts and recordings. Certain composers have been 'translating' carefully chosen pieces from various cultures allowing Kronos to reflect our evolving interests passions and concerns thereby enlarging the palette of sonic possibilities. Paramount among our 'translator'-arranger-composer has been Osvaldo Golijov. These six pieces originating from Argentina Cuba Hungary Mexico and Portugal here translated and arranged by Osvaldo Golijov havegiven Kronos new words in our vocabulary and new roles to assume within our group and they have taught us new ways of approaching music.- Kronos QuartetEach volume of the Kronos Collection contains scores and performance parts for works commissioned by the non-profit Kronos Performing Arts Association for the Kronos Quartet a group celebrated for its fearless exploration and commitment to expanding the repertoire of the String Quartet.This publication has been released in conjunction with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Kronos Quartet.This volume contains score and parts.

Contemporary String Quartet Repertoire For Established Ensembles-The Pioneer series is part of three progressive collections of contemporary string quartet repertoire from leading composers to encourage and facilitate the development of ensemble playing. Compiled and edited by Liz Partridge each volume contains graded works commissioned especially for this series designed for quartets formed of players of similar ability. Featuring a mixture of musical styles and genres each piece contains different elements and techniques to consolidate and enhance the players? skills as soloists and as ensemble members. An accompanying CD provides demonstration recordings of all included pieces. Minus-one tracks are available to downloadonline to allow for individual practice between rehearsals. Pioneer Series: Contemporary string quartet repertoire for established ensembles. Captivating contemporary concert repertoire for established quartets of grade 6-8 standard. Compositions are more pioneering in style and feature greater independence of parts and increased incorporation of extended techniques.