Mozart: Quartet in d minor, K. 421

The second of the six quartets dedicated to Haydn, this is the only one of the set in minor. The first movement is an expansive sonata form, full of long-lined phrases and odd harmonic turns. Mozart was working on the second movement while his wife was in labor with their first child, Raimund Leopold, and it is said that her cries of pain are depicted in the loud chords in the middle section. The minuet and trio form a highly contrasting pair, the heaviness of the minuet against the "music box" lightness of the trio, the minor versus major modality, and the reversal of the motivic rhythm. The final movement owes a debt to Haydn's variation finale in his Op. 33#5; of particular note are the highly figurated 2nd violin variation and the lyrical and dark-hued viola variation.

Volans: String Quartet No. 1 "White Man Sleeps"

Written in 1982 for a combination of two harpsichords, bass, and percussion, Volans rewrote the work in 1986 for the Kronos Quartet. This piece combines minimalist techniques, like multiple repetitions and small variations, with African rhythms and moods. Certain sections imitate panpipe music, and it is from these sections that the subtitle "White Man Sleeps" is drawn - the musicians leave off playing the loud panpipes for a few cycles to let the white landowner sleep, but only for a little while. Another movement uses only the viola and cello, with the viola's lowest string tuned down from a C to a G, creating an unusual and effective timbre.

Smetana: Quartet in e minor, "From My Life"

As the subtitle suggests, this piece is autobiographical in nature, telling in musical terms of specific things in Smetana's life. The first movement introduces the "fate" motive, in the unusually lengthy viola solo, as well as his love for art in his youth. The second movement is a rollicking polka, Smetana and his friends out on the town, dancing (and drinking!) all night long. Going from the ridiculous to the sublime, the third movement is his love for his first wife, which opens with a cello solo described by David Ying as "the lonely guy", who is then joined by the other instruments. The last movement is an outburst of high spirits in E major, showing his strong nationalism, interrupted by a high E in the first violin - the note he heard ringing in his ears, heralding his impending deafness. Reminisces of the first movement follow, moving through desolation to a very faint ray of hope.

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