The Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet and Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man will bring a fresh, innovative sound and some repertoire never before performed to Shanghai next weekend.

The performance will be Sunday at the Shanghai Concert Hall.

They will perform Terry Riley's "The Cusp of Magic " and Tan Dun's "Ghost Opera."

Premiered by Kronos and Wu in 2005, "The Cusp of Magic " was commissioned for the quartet in honor of the 70th birthday celebrations of Riley, "Father of Minimalism" and Kronos' long-time collaborator.

"Ghost Opera" by Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun is another work commissioned by the quartet and inspired by ancient tales.

As one of the most celebrated and influential ensembles of our time, the Kronos Quartet is comprised of violinists David Harrington and John Sherba, viola player Hank Dutt and cellist Jeff rey Zeigler. They have explored and expanded the range and context of the string quartet for more than 30 years.

They have commissioned hundreds of works and arrangements and garnered numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance (2004) and "Musicians of the Year" (2003) from Musical America.

Kronos' adventurous approach dates back to the ensemble's origins. In 1973 David Harrington was inspired to form Kronos after hearing George Crumb's "Black Angels," a highly unorthodox, Vietnam War-inspired work featuring bowed water glasses, spoken word passages, and electronic effects.

The ensemble then went on to build a compellingly eclectic repertoire for string quartet, performing and recording works by 20th century masters, contemporary composers as well as jazz legends and rock stars.

New York-based pipa virtuoso Wu has cooperated with the quartet for 15 years. "They happened to listen to my performance, they were touched by my music and called me about cooperation. I was surprised," says Wu.

Wu was the first major performer to bring pipa to the Western world.

The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese lute.

"When I arrived in the US in 1990, Chinese culture was barely known among Westerners, to say nothing of pipa music," says Wu.

Her father is a famous artist and selected the instrument for his daughter.

"It was hard to promote pipa art in the West," she says. "Fortunately, my efforts inspired dozens of composers to create excellent pipa works and expanded my repertoire."

Only a few dozen ancient pipa compositions remain today.

In recent years contemporary composers have written around 50 compositions especially for Wu.

She calls her cooperation with Kronos a "turning point" in her career, which not only expanded the content of pipa music but also its audience.

Kronos' music has also featured prominently in other media, including film ("Requiem for a Dream," "21 Grams," "Heat," "True Stories") and dance, with choreographers such as Merce Cunningham, Twyla Tharp, and the duo Eiko & Koma setting pieces to Kronos' music.

The fresh Shanghai repertoire of Kronos and Wu will also include Kronos' arrangement "Oh Mother, the Handsome Man Tortures Me," Icelandic rock band Sigur Ros' "The Floyer Freer," New Zealand composer Jack Body's "Long-Ge" and Wu Man's own compositions, "Ambush Again" and "Namu Amida."

Four years ago Kronos also launched the "Under 30 Project," in conjunction with the quartet's own 30th birthday to commission works for composers under 30 years old. By cultivating creative relationships with young emerging talents, Kronos reaps the benefit of 30 years' wisdom while maintaining an approach to music making as fresh as the new century.

Well, people say good music is like wine, often the older the better. But not always. It's also exciting to sip a new kind of wine, something you have never tasted before.

Kronos Quartet hand in hand with pipa virtuoso Wu Man
Date: March 18, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall, 523 Yan'an Rd E.
Tickets: 100-880 yuan
Tel: 021-62172426