“Classical meets World- and Dance-Music” was a style more or less invented by, and for, the Kronos Quartet, and among the best pieces composed in that style were Terry Riley’s string quartets including Salome Dances for Peace and the quartets of South African Kevin Volans, but success breeds imitation, so after Kronos you got Balanescu, and after Balanescu you got The Smith Quartet. But in truth, The Smith Quartet also recorded more demanding music for string quartet, in their outstanding program of “Ghost Stories”.
Graham Fitkin: Huoah, Slow in Slow. Huoah. Frame. Argo 433 690-2 (1992)
“Ghost Stories”: works of Tim Souster, Michael Alcorn, Gavin Bryars, James MacMillan, Stephen Montague, recorded May-July 2006. Signum Classics SIGCD088 (2007)
“Dance” (works of Tunde Jegede, Joe Cutler, John Adams, Graham Fitkin, Andrew Poppy, Michael Finnissy, Tan Dun, Kevin Volans, Michael Nyman, Jon Lord, Gabriel Prokofiev, Elena Kats-Chernin, Domacha Dennehy, Django Bates, recorded September 2009 & January 2010). Signum Classics SIGCD236 (2011)