Dublin Guitar Quartet: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Don’t ask the members of the Dublin Guitar Quartet to play the time-honored classics of the Spanish repertoire. They might play traditional Spanish style classical guitars, but they’re not your standard guitar ensemble. The Dubliners are strictly devoted to contemporary music. They’ve been commissioning new pieces and adapting others for both acoustic and electric guitars since 2002, when the group formed at the Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama. Dressed more like stylish bankers than hipsters, the musicians filed behind Bob Boilen’s desk in matching suits and proceeded to make string quartet music by Philip Glass shine in a completely new way. Whether you know the Glass quartets or not, it’s astonishing how satisfying the music sounds on four guitars. The interlocking parts are transparent and the music seems to breathe fresh air. The group’s intonation is impeccable, the rhythms crisp and precise whether they are keeping the propulsive engine chugging or lurching to a sudden new arpeggio. Watch their