Music and Dance Reviews : Kronos and Electric Phoenix in Concert at Wadsworth

Veteran new music ensembles the Kronos Quartet and Electric Phoenix joined forces Saturday evening at the Wadsworth Theater in an odd mix-and-match program. For lack of repertory, the results were not quite as intriguing as the combination of American string quartet and British vocal quartet suggested.

Of greatest interest was the local premiere of “De Harmonium,” by the extended vocal techniques master William Brooks. The 20-minute work sets poems by Wallace Stevens as an evocative, comprehendably shaped soundscape, with an emphasis on special effects rather than straightforward text setting.

Awash in the hissing sound of vocal surf, “De Harmonium” develops its poignant materials in complex layers and richly allusive patterns. The full resources of both ensembles, with taped enhancements, are exploited with skill and purpose.

The two groups performed with equal verve and assurance in very demanding ensemble work. They also combined in a loose, fluent account of Terry Riley’s Minimalist monument, “In C.”

Separately, the groups repeated pieces that they have performed here recently: Kronos the episodic, parodistic romp of John Zorn’s “Cat O’ Nine Tails”; Electric Phoenix, the fractured imagery of Trevor Wishart’s “Vox II.”