Kronos Quartet has set the standard for more than three decades, boldly combining a spirit of exploration with a commitment to expanding the range and context of the string quartet. The group now joins with Azerbaijan’s greatest singer, the legendary Alim Qasimov—”one of the most thrilling, unashamedly emotional performers on the planet” (The Guardian, London)—and his daughter, vocalist Fargana Qasimov, for a boundary-breaking musical evening. With each ensemble performing their own solo set before joining together onstage, the artists will perform pieces drawn from the repertoire of Azerbaijani ashiqs—oral-tradition singer-songwriters whose music portrays, often with wry humor and searing irony, the power of love and the pain of separation.

http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/performances/2011-12/new-music/kronos-quartet-alim-qasimov-ensemble.php#.TwzM-G9STw0