With this 2016 release on New World Records, the Kepler Quartet completes its cycle of the ten string quartets of Ben Johnston, whose lifetime work in microtonal music is exemplified by these extraordinary compositions. Johnston's music reveals the influence of Harry Partch, specifically his use of just intonation, though Johnston's reliance on conventional instruments is distinct from Partch's practice of building new instruments to accommodate his tunings. Johnston's method took many years to develop, and his string quartets show his increasing use of microtonal tunings, as well as serial applications, folk song material, and such traditional forms as fugue and variations. To the untrained ear, these string quartets can be a bit daunting on a first hearing, and the more complicated aspects of Johnston's pitch production may be elusive. Yet these are boldly original works, and the coherence of the music -- adventurous as it is -- is best appreciated through patient listening, perhaps by taking one quartet at a time.
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