The piece is very much informed by the peculiarity of the ensemble itself, or as I saw it, the meta-ensemble; a confounded arrangement of familiar and well-established classical archetypes, such as the string quartet, oboe quartet, and harp trio. This particularly unusual combination of instruments in many ways denies any natural musical hierarchy, and it is this notion of “hierarchical dissonance” and the dichotomy between the familiar and the peculiar that underpins almost every aspect of the composition.
