Kronos and WWI: A Decadent School Night

Today I left school right after classes and went up to Champaign for dinner and a Kronos Quartet concert with friends. I felt a little guilty, but mostly I felt energized and carefee. The concert, Beyond Zero: 1914-1918, commemorated WWI with an Avante-Garde tribute in music, lighting, and film. The film shown behind the quartet amplified the emotions evoked by the discordant modern and post-modern music. By juxtaposing found footage from the war with both recorded music from the period and live music from the quartet, the composers provide a glimpse of a war fought in fields, in trenches, and in the air, but because most of the footage shows some deterioration, the history stored there looks as unstable as the reasons given for the war and its brutality, destruction, and ugliness. The combination of art-forms was awe-inspiring and enlightening. Despite a foggy ride home, I'm quite pleased with my night of decadence and bid you all a good night!