A CD review - “Uniko” – Kronos Quartet – Kimmo Pohjonen – Samuh Kosminen

“I have been a big fan of the Kronos Quartet for several decades now. But I must say when I first thought about the idea of String Quartet with Accordion, Samples and Programming I was not too sure about what the results were going to be. Knowing how adventurous Kronos has always been, I put my headphones on with eager ears and an open mind.

I have been immensely surprised to find myself really enjoying this album. I mean to the point of it being one of my favorite Kronos Quartet pieces. The accordion fits in like it has always been the fifth member that should have always been there. The tonal quality of the reeds seems to blend with the strings almost as if it were a string instrument itself. The bellows breathe right along side the fleshiness of the bows creating a rich and unique sound that even in the most dissonant sections can be quite soothing on the ears.

The pieces ebb and flow between dense and scattered particles of repetitive patterns and sampled vocals in hushed moaning. Synthesizer flurries and the sound of studio tapes running out create a feeling of technological breakdown. But the music never looses its beating heart. A very human longing slices through the cold modernist moments as the beautiful strings surround and embrace with gorgeous melodies and the fantastic interplay that not many other groups in any genre have ever been capable of.

Kimmo Pohjonen’s accordion plays aggressively and vibrantly throughout the piece showing his immense virtuosity on the instrument. His writing along with Samuh Kosminen is deeply moving and gorgeously orchestrated for this particular instrumentation. It never seems like there is a string quartet with an accordion stuck in there just because that’s the instrument the composer happens to play. This music is urgent. This music is lush and vibrant.

I loved listening to this CD for the first time. I can only imagine how much my appreciation will grow as I continue to hear and discover new things inside its mysteries over time. “Uniko” is a fantastic piece of music that should be listened to by anyone who is interested in hearing how an untraditional pairing of instruments just might be able to become a new tradition.

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