John Zorn – “Cat O’ Nine Tails”

Recorded by the renowned Kronos Quartet, John Zorn delivers a cacophonous and uncompromising piece of music entitled “Cat O’ Nine Tails”, which was recorded for the “Short Stories” album, a compilation of avant-garde composers whose songs have been recorded entirely by the famous quartet.
The piece is nearly thirteen minutes long, and has no distinct audible structure, though it is possible that Zorn had one in mind as he wrote his “Cat O’ Nine Tails”. The song is made up of many short and erratic motives and phrases that appear to have no connection with any of the others. These quick motive shifts are also accompanied by rapid and sometimes violent dynamic changes. The instrumentalists use a variety of bowing and fingering techniques as they issue forth melodic and atonal passages, each with its own unique mood and timbre. The final product results in a piece of string music in which the players use many forms of craftsmanship to create sounds that have never been heard together in the same piece of music.
“Cat O’ Nine Tails” is certainly a piece that can seize anybody’s attention, but whether they will understand, appreciate, or even enjoy it is up for grabs. The only question I have is “How the hell did he notate the damn piece?”