Four Questions: Kronos Quartet, Short Stories

Artist

Kronos Quartet

Title

Short Stories

Original Release Date

March 9, 1993

Purchase Date

March 9, 1993

What is the memory you most associate with this title?

I was living in New York City at the time this album was released. That season, Kronos performed twice at Alice Tully Hall. Most of the pieces on those programs would eventually make their way to the Night Prayers album. So I was a bit disappointed they didn’t end up on Short Stories.

I sat a few seats away from Osvaldo Golijov at one of those concerts. He stood up when Kronos acknowledged him after starting the concert with a premiere of his work. I congratulated him as he passed me on the way out to intermission.

What was happening in your life when it was released?

I had adjusted to life in New York City. I had a rough bout of homesickness the preceding autumn, which I found disappointing because I had waited what felt like an eternity to escape Hawaii.

But I wasn’t totally at ease. I still was in denial about being gay, and I hadn’t learned how to be comfortable with solitude. I did lay the groundwork for what would eventually pivot me away from music and into journalism by writing for the campus newspaper. I had also started to enjoy reading fiction, which was handy because that winter was actually rough.

What was happening in your life when you bought it?

I bought the album on release day, so same answer as above. I’m pretty sure I took a crosstown bus from Hunter College to the Tower Records at Lincoln Center, which had an entire floor dedicated to classical music.

What do you think of it now?

I do not like Short Stories.

Up to that point, Kronos crafted their albums well, threading diverse pieces into a thematic whole. Short Stories felt like a compilation with uninteresting B-sides.

Perhaps the lack of a thread was the point of the album. I just remember feeling impatience with a number of longer pieces on the album.

If I were to rank Kronos’ Nonesuch albums, Short Stories would anchor it.

Tags: four questions, kronos quartet