'Sunjata's Time': Music for String Quartet

The relationship between musicians and their patrons has been one of great importance for centuries; if it weren’t for princes and dukes and counts, we would be without many great musical masterpieces. This concert celebrates two such partnerships: Beethoven and his 3rd string quartet in the series composed for Count Razumovsky, and Fodé Lassana Diabaté’s “Sunjata’s Time”, dedicated to Sunjata Keita, the warrior prince who founded the great Mali Empire in 1235. During his time as emperor, Sunjata established many of the cultural norms that remain in practice today—including the close relationship between patron and musician that is the hallmark of so much music in Mali. This work, along with Le Bois by The National’s Bryce Dessner and a moving piece by Rhiannon Giddens, was composed for the Kronos Quartet and their Fifty for the Future commissioning project. This concert therefore also celebrates the continued contribution and generosity of the Kronos Quartet.

Music:

Bryce Dessner: Le Bois

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in C major, op. 59 no. 3 'Razumovsky'

Rhiannon Giddens: At the Purchaser's Option with Variations

Fodé Lassana Diabaté: Sunjata's Time