Irrational - Chaya Czernowin

Originally conceived for Loadbang — a New York chamber ensemble of trumpet, clarinet, trombone, and piano — Irrational was later reimagined for saxophone quartet at Czernowin’s invitation with Ensemble du Bout du Monde. From its inception, the piece is a deliberate test: can an ensemble of distinct voices stay coherent under pressure, or will they fracture into chaotic fragments?

Using the four saxophones’ unique timbres, Irrational unfolds as a constant negotiation between unity and fragmentation. At times the quartet coalesces into a single organism — breathing, trembling, shifting as one. At other moments it rips apart: individual lines sprawl into untamed gestures, splintering textures into jagged shards. The tension is always present: will they stay together, or break apart irreparably?

Czernowin’s sonic world is resolutely modern yet punctuated by flashes of unexpected levity. Within dense, detailed layers lie hints of comic relief — sudden eruptions or absurd twists that shift the emotional balance, testing both the ensemble and the listener’s expectations. The drama of Irrational lives in its constant brinkmanship: risk and reward are inseparable here. A fracture might lead to profound insight — or total collapse.

In performance, the quartet becomes more than instruments. They are bodies in tension, voices in flux. At every moment the question pulses: can the group hold? Or will the pressure yield a beautiful, volatile disintegration?

(Program note by Don-Paul Kahl