Pieces of Africa

Released in 1992, Pieces of Africa is a colorful and thought-provoking collection of music by African and South African composers. On several tracks, the quartet is joined by the joyous sound of traditional African instruments and vocals. The variety on offer reflects the cultural diversity of this vast continent—Saade (I’m Happy), by Moroccan composer Hassan Hakmoun, is flavored with Middle Eastern melodic inflections. Egyptian Sudanese Hamza El Din’s hypnotic Escalay (Waterwheel) is a powerful expression of a community’s grief as its village is lost to the Aswan Dam. And South African composer Kevin Volans’ White Man Sleeps, the most traditionally “classical” of the pieces, draws on myriad tribal cultures from across his homeland. The final track, Zimbabwean Dumisani Maraire’s Kutambarara (Spreading), is a glorious hymn to Africa’s freedom from Western oppressions. Like many Kronos Quartet projects, Pieces of Africa came together through chance introductions and serendipity. As the ensemble’s founder and leader David Harrington tells Apple Music Classical, Kronos was introduced to the music of Hamza El Din by minimalist pioneer Terry Riley after he heard the quartet perform Kevin Volans’ White Man Sleeps. “Something similar happened with Philip Glass,” says Harrington, “who introduced me to the Gambian musician and composer Foday Musa Suso. So Pieces of Africa started out as one piece by an African-born composer, and slowly over a period of eight years it became an album.” In April 2024, Pieces of Africa was selected as one of 25 recordings to be inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.