Press Play: The '90s
J Under the Dome
Hartford Symphony Orchestra String Quartet, On That Note, Hartford Gay Men's Chorus
Hartford
April 30, 2026
What is the most important song of the 1990s*?
Yes, there is a correct answer to that question, according to Peter Zay and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s string quartet. The quartet, along with On That Note, the Hartford Gay Men’s Chorus acapella group, played nearly 20 songs covering the decade that saw the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Pogs.
Zay is the quartet’s cellist. The quartet also featured Simon Bilyk and Sarah Ng on violin, and Ramón Carrero Martínez on viola.
On That Note opened the evening with a rendition of the Boyz II Men classic “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” followed by “No More I Love You’s” by Annie Lennox. The addition of multiple layers of harmonies and rounds to the familiar songs made them feel fresh, and the joy and enthusiasm were clear.
Afterward, the HSO string quartet launched into its tour of the 1990s, swinging through R&B, pop, movie soundtracks and everything else. It was great fun for me because it allowed me to finally put names to songs that I’ve heard hundreds of times, the kind you know all the words to even though you’ve never personally played the song: “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt; “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes; Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.
The HSO performers managed to capture the spirit of the original songs while also emphasising the unique elements of the arrangements and the instruments. It was a melding of musical styles that put a twist on the classics.
Towards the end of the show, Zay stood up and announced that the quartet would perform the most important song of the 90s. But before they started, he took guesses from the crowd. Answers rained down on the stage.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit!”
“Californication!”
“Ice Ice Baby!”
Shockingly, no one managed to guess this:
Honestly, it’s the perfect song as the capstone for both the '90s and the concert. The original song features stringed instruments prominently, so the arrangement for the quartet was more true to the source than any other song. Playing music actually written for string instruments let the quartet’s sound shine through particularly well.
As for the '90s, I was a kid, 15 when "Thong Song" came out). I distinctly remember a spirit of optimism that was running wild in the nation. I still remember the day they announced the Dow Jones had surpassed 9,000 for the first time. The Cold War was over; the internet was connecting people all over the world. It seemed like the sky was the limit.
So you want to sing about thongs? Go ahead! The stuffiness of censorship and embarrassment had been left behind with the rest of history. We were living in the progressive, open 90s. Music, and the videos that came with them, hit the stratosphere in terms of raunchiness. And of course, my teenage eyes were glued to BET every night.
The '90s produced the soundtrack to my childhood, and On That Note and the HSO string quartet succeeded in recapturing it.
*Yes, some of these songs didn’t technically release between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1999. It’s about the spirit of the 90s, folks!
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