Aeolus Quartet with arx duo

In this multifaceted program of works by American composers, the two pieces for percussion duo and string quartet together look ahead to untold possibilities in the genre while the two pieces for string quartet alone speak to traditions in American music in the 20th century. arx duo joins Aeolus to present two new works for String Quartet and Two Percussion, including Michael Laurello’s “These Whose Lips Smashed Unimagined Skies”, and a 1900 Building Partner commission by Jonathan Bailey Holland “Third Quartet: for string quartet and two percussion”. These pieces mix the world of romantic string writing (like in Hollands piece) and the world of “math metal” (Laurello). “These Whose Lips…” features a wealth of sounds, shifting rhythms, and auditory surprises that creates an engaging, long form piece, moving continuously through mixing the world of percussion with that of the String Quartet. In Hollands “Third Quartet”, the romantic string quartet is emphasized and embellished by sounds from the percussion including some pitch, effects sounds, and a groovy snare drum. Both written in the last 5 years, this will be the 3rd ever performance of both works.Bill Bolcom’s Three Rags for String Quartet (transcribed 1989) celebrates the lively, syncopated energy of ragtime music made popular by such legends as Scott Joplin and James Scott. Florence Price’s lush, soulful Quartet in A minor (1935) traces the roots of ragtime to the Juba dance, an African-American plantation dance performed by enslaved African people. This syncopated style originating in African drumming features prominently in Price’s third movement, amidst surrounding movements showcasing a remarkable skill in fusing her mastery of Western Classical compositional techniques with harmonic idioms characteristic of the Black musical tradition. We feel especially honored to share this music here in Kansas City, where there is such a rich history of ragtime and jazz music making.