…B.S. unfolded… [kandinsky etüde 9 - Frederik neyrinck

Commissioned by the saxophone quartet Mobilis for the Horsurm Festival in Austria, …B.S. Unfolded was composed in the summer of 2020. The title holds two overlapping meanings. On one hand, “B.S.” refers to the baritone saxophone, which Neyrinck casts as a quasi-soloist at the center of the quartet. The alto and tenor saxophones flank it in a stereo-like role, while the soprano saxophone is placed with its back to the audience, functioning as a shadow of the baritone. This unusual configuration shapes the listener’s perception of balance, space, and resonance.

The second layer of meaning in the title refers to Anthony Holborne’s Renaissance work Bona Speranza. Neyrinck integrates fragments of Holborne’s music into his own, unfolding and transforming it into new material. The idea of “unfolding” also reflects Neyrinck’s fascination with how a simple element on the saxophone can be played directly or expanded with extended techniques such as flutter tongue or air sounds, thereby creating a rich and personal sonic language.

The subtitle, Kandinsky-Etüde 9, points to the theoretical writings of Wassily Kandinsky, particularly Point and Line to Plane. Neyrinck was drawn to Kandinsky’s question of how a single element can appear as a point in one moment, then take form as a line or plane in another. This conceptual framework informs the structure of the work, where sound materials are reframed and reimagined from multiple perspectives.

With its interplay of historical reference, visual art theory, and instrumental innovation, …B.S. Unfolded presents the saxophone quartet as both a spatial and philosophical sound laboratory, offering the listener a constantly shifting perspective on resonance, form, and voice.

(Program note written by Don-Paul Kahl, based on an interview with Frederik Neyrinck)