Don’t expect the rigour of Terry Riley’s In C from his 70th-birthday Kronos commission. The old minimalist has melted into a world music dreamer. Structurally, this six-movement creation is loose; but there’s joy and tenderness in its exotic currents. String quartet forces are amplified by the pipa (a Chinese lute), nursery toys, drumming and Chinese singing. The title is accurate: it’s not fully magical, but we are at the cusp.
(Nonesuch)