‘All of a sudden, Kronos Quartet became wholly electrified, amplified’ – making ‘Different Trains’ in 1989

Kronos founder David Harrington on working with Steve Reich and the innovative work’s legacy

The Kronos Quartet perform at Central Park, New York, in 1992. Photo: Getty

Barry Egan

It’s been been described as one of the most powerful and significant musical compositions of the 20th century, and Different Trains – the three-movement piece for string quartet and tape written by Steve Reich – won a Grammy in 1990 for Best Contemporary ­Composition.

The opening movement of the song ­evokes America on a train before World War II, a time when Reich travelled from Los Angeles to New York as a child with his governess between 1939 and 1942.