KUI DONG (b.1966): Spring, CHINARY UNG (b.1942): Spiral X, JACK BODY (1944): Epicycle, GABRIELA LENA FRANK (b.1972): Chasqui, HYO-SHIN NA (b.1959): Song of the Beggars, ZHOU LONG (b.1953): Song of the Ch'in, JOHN ADAMS (b.1947): Toot Nipple, PETER SCULTHORPE (b.1929): Yearning from String Quartet No. 16.

Description: An eclectic collection of quartet-based (the Ung contains vocal parts) works from composers based in cultures as diverse as Cambodia, New Zealand, China and the West coast of the U.S., this program traverses a wide range of territory. Not surprisingly, elements of traditional eastern idioms emerge in the form of various modal scales employed throughout various of the works, and the American influence is heard in the quasi-minimalistic gestures of the Kui Dong and Jack Body as well as, of course, the Adams. Body's intricate and complex, kaleidoscopically transformative repetitive/evolving work is the most extended here, and among the most intriguing. The Ung is a requiem for victims of the Khmer Rouge, a harsh and unsettling work, while the Frank is breezy and instantly approachable, and the Adams, a classic piece of lively minimalism is even more so. Zhou Long effectively transcribes traditional Chinese music, while the Sculthorpe is very much in the composer's own voice; a potent lament for refugees and the displaced, based on an Afghan song, lending the work a flavour of the middle east. A stimulatingly varied recital, demonstrating the huge expressive capability of the quartet medium. Del Sol String Quartet.