Thanks for the dispatch from Part II, Florestan. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the Crumb and am sorry to have missed it. It would have been nice to feel that the evening wasn’t a bust, but I guess that’s the risk we took when we left early.

Generally disappointing show, a far cry from the last time I saw Kronos perform at the Power Center ten years ago or so.

Started out strong with a very compelling performance of the Penderecki, but the next piece by John Oswald (which sounded interesting enough) concluded with some misguided, over-the-top, exaggerated physical movements by the quartet, who apparently had to busy themselves during the piece’s final moments while they were not playing (just listening to themselves on playback). Was this supposed to be physical comedy?

The Geeshie Wiley was fine but forgettable. The Monk was horrendous and drove the whole show straight south, as the quartet’s playing was backed up by a fatally distracting, cheesy percussion track that sounded like it was being beamed directly from a late ’90s action movie in which all the heroes wear sunglasses. (I notice the members of the quartet themselves always wear sunglasses in photos, so maybe there’s something to that….)

The Wagner was a nice reprieve but seemed perfunctorily played, and the barely there Anderson was such a minimal dessert course one wondered at its inclusion at all. The Reich, finally, reminded why that composer’s work is increasingly (& unfortunately) uninteresting, derivative of his own prior innovations and sounding like bad Steve Reich leftovers, warmed up and with no flavor left.

Further re. the Reich, I’d like to object to this trend of small ensembles playing alongside recordings of themselves. Maybe there are interesting questions of authenticity and immediacy raised there, but I always leave feeling cheated. If Reich is commissioned to create a piece for the Kronos Quartet, why create a piece for more than 4 performers? Watching the musicians sit idly by while we all listen to recordings of them in the background is a particularly unsatisfying & impoverished live music experience.

My companions and I decided to duck out at intermission, so I can’t comment on the Crumb. In general, we were sorry we made the trip from Detroit and felt cheated by this lackluster program (not to mention the lighting, which both distracted and detracted). I know that Kronos is talented and have followed their innovative trajectory with interest for many years. After last night, though, I can’t shake the feeling that these onetime members of the avant garde have really lost their edge.

Thanks for hosting a splendid show. I was introduced to Merce (and contemporary dance, really) on the Power Center’s stage in 2002 when I was 18, and I can’t tell you how much it meant to get a chance to see the company perform again in Ann Arbor on the farewell tour. What a beautiful, extraordinary concert.

I also have a question I was hoping someone with UMS could answer. During the first part of “Split Sides,” the house lights came up for a few moments. I was convinced that this was an intentional part of the show, but my partner wondered if it was a technical mistake. I’ve done a bit of web searching and I don’t see any mention of it happening at other performances, so I’m starting to wonder if he’s right. (Either way, we found it compelling!) Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer.