String Quartet No. 9

Infused with a folk music vibe, Ben Johnston’s String Quartet No. 9 is definitely off the post-minimalist beaten path and carries with it an atypical clarity and reverence to classical traditions. Melodies, often quite catchy, collapse under their own weight then recede into the background, proliferating the surrounding accompaniment figures before wrestling back into the forefront again. At one point a tiny ornamental gesture takes over the entire focus and a strange trill begins to sounds as if the CD is skipping. No need to adjust your equipment though, everything is perfectly out of tune—according to equal temperament, that is—just how the composer wants it.

—RN