Clarinet and String Quartet by Morton Feldman presents a 40-minute array of fragile, repetitive, kaleidoscopic textures and extremely quiet sounds, all seemingly static. Feldman’s music – both in its length and non-linear repetitiveness – creates for the listener an experience outside of time. It is hypnotic, trancelike, meditative. Swallow the pill, close your eyes, take the trip. 

The music of John Zorn is a very different trip. Straight to the nerve center. Cat O’Nine Tails is, in the composer’s own words, an unholy mashup of Looney Toons and S&M. This is wild stuff, quoting and referencing a staggering number of musical styles and genres, often in outbursts of only a few seconds. Quick cuts. Copy/paste composing. No stasis, only violent flux brought about by serious information overload.

These two vastly contrasting pieces are supplemented by Den Haag composer Alejandra Castro's Strijkwartet nr. 1, “wat stilstaat deelt zichzelf misschien het meesete mee” - an elegant and melodically rich piece laying somewhere between these aesthetic extremes.