A compelling case... Any listener will find themselves in gorgeous new musical territory. The ease with which the ear understands the radically untraditional harmonic writing testifies to Johnston’s fluency in his very special compositional language. The performances here by the Kepler Quartet are impassioned, and the degree to which the players have mastered the exotic tunings to the point where the chords glisten and flash is something to marvel at. UNG-AANG TALAY

The Kepler Quartet presses this American maverick's cause with the initial volume of a commanding complete run. STEVE SMITH

 

This is the first disc devoted to the complete string quartets (ten of them) of Ben Johnston, all superbly performed by the Kepler Quartet and accompanied by a perceptive and informative essay by musicologist Bob Gilmore. Let's hope Gilmore is right when he states that Johnston's time has come. DAN WARBURTON

This is music of great integrity, startling vitality, and striking originality, yet it is virtually unknown. A cross between homespun American populism and sophisticated experimentation of the avant-garde...The Kepler Quartet is so compelling in its performances that these radiant recordings should be regarded as authoritative.

With this kind of advocacy, the music has more than just a chance of survival; instead, it seems that it must survive...a triumph, and a joy to know the remaining quartets are already in the pipeline. ROBERT CARL

CD OF THE YEAR I cannot possibly imagine that any classical recording of 2006 is more important, a greater achievement, a greater contribution to our world, than New World Records' release of Ben Johnston's string quartets, as performed by the Kepler Quartet. Instead of plunking down $18 to buy the latest crossover/crosscultural marketing ploy, buy this disc and be inspired. PHILLIP BUSH

The company of American composers includes some number who, even though they might be justly described as legendary, are much more likely to have been heard of than to have been heard.  Ben Johnston is a case in point. His work concentrates on the beautiful sonorities made possible by tuning  intervals exactly according to the overtone series. The performances of Kepler Quartet are luminously sonorous and completely masterly.  Two of these quartets have been recorded previously, but  neither with anything like the same quality of performance or of recording quality. RODNEY LISTER

An emormous service to all music is being done by the Kepler Quartet, which has released the first volume of the complete cycle of quartets of Ben Johnston. I can’t wait for the remainder; fortunately, this first set of quartets, which covers most of his career, are good enough to keep us coming back for relistening until the next installment arrives. 'Til next year! ROBERT CARL

One of the unsung geniuses of American music. Johnston's music is fresh, colorful, communicative, witty, unpredictable and profoundly human. It is also far more difficult to play than it sounds, so God bless the Kepler Quartet , which has undertaken the Herculean task of recording Johnston's 10 string quartets. MARK STRYKER

Johnston employs just intonation to create a surreal dreamscape --The Kepler Quartet is a world-class ensemble, with the ability to play modern without sounding gimmicky or contrived. GREG CAHILL

My copy arrived today of Ben Johnston's Quartets 2,3,4, and 9-- stunningly played by the Kepler Quartet. What is the high point of this disc? Each quartet is its own high point, distinct and difficult to compare- apples and oranges? More like an apple, a carrot, a tree and a stone monolith. DAVID BOHN

The Kepler Quartet renders each score with technical security and genuine conviction, providing even the toughest works here with a narrative flow. STEVE SMITH

Any other year, this would have been my first pick.  Johnston is a pioneer in the use of microtones and just intonation, surpassing even Harry Partch as a musical maverick.  His ten string quartets are among the most fascinating collections of work by any American composer and this album is a must-have for anyone who cares about modern music. JERRY BOWLES

It is becoming clear that [Johnston's] greatest achievement during the last two decades has been a series of string quartets, a body of work that is both highly personal and expressively ambitious in the great tradition of the medium. These quartets are based on a radical concept, which threatens the basis of all Western music over the past two centuries, i.e. the rethinking of tuning.

By opening up this new world of sounds, Johnston has a grand aim: the recapture of harmony.
ROBERT CARL

Plain old C major never sounded like this before, and neither has the string quartet. PHILIP CLARKE

"Johnston's Unheeded Eloquence"

Ben Johnston's deeply affecting and downright lovable works leave questions I can't answer: Why is a major composer and authentically original American voice so seldom heard? MARK SWED

Now that the Kepler Quartet is undertaking the formidable task of recording his complete ten string quartets, it's becoming public that Johnston, who just turned 80, has penned the most substantial output in that medium since Shostakovich. KYLE GANN

If this first release is representative, this will be one of the most important new-music recordings of the year. IAN QUINN

This is a release of great significance. Johnston's cycle of string quartets are works of immense interest. The inventiveness of the works on this disc alone suggest that Johnston is one of the major figures of American music in our time.