Updated 11.18.09

“I thought that [Salome Dances for Peace] should be a ballet about Salome using her alluring powers to actually create peace in the world. So Salome in this case becomes like a goddess who — drawn out of antiquity: having done evil kinds of deeds — reincarnates and is trained as a sorceress, as a shaman. And through her dancing, she is able to become both a warrior and an influence on the world leaders’ actions.… I’m always trying to find ways that I can, besides doing music, contribute to world peace, or maybe neighborhood peace or home peace. I told David [Harrington, of the Kronos Quartet] when we first started that I thought we ought to create a piece that can be played at the United Nations on special holidays. It would nor be just a concert piece but a piece that could be played as a rite.” — Terry Riley, from the CD booklet.

“The relationship between the story and the quartet is a complex one. The music does not consistently tell the story as program music.… How much one wants to hear Salome Dances for Peace as a specific story is ultimately a personal decision for the listener. Like a late Beethoven quartet, Salome Dances for Peace is a spiritual journey.” — Mark Swed, from the CD booklet.

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