It all started with George Crumb’s Black Angels: when violinist David Harrington heard the piece played on the radio in 1973, he immediately decided to create an ensemble to perform this music—thus the Kronos Quartet was born. With performances of more than a thousand newly commissioned works, groundbreaking collaborations with artists from many other disciplines, and a strong commitment to nurturing new generations of musicians, the Kronos Quartet has redefined the role of the string quartet for the late 20th and 21st centuries. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the ensemble now comes to the Pierre Boulez Saal for three very special events.

The documentary A Thousand Thoughts employs sound, images, and words to immerse viewers and listeners in the Kronos Quartet’s musical cosmos: interviews, photos, and archival footage provide the visual background to the history of the ensemble, narrated on stage by director Sam Green. The four musicians themselves deliver the live soundtrack—performing excerpts from a variety of works that have helped shape its path.