Katabasis, Greek for “go down”, is the epic convention of the hero's trip to the underworld. In Greek mythology, for example, Orpheus enters the underworld to bring his lost love, Eurydice, back to the world of the living. The concept of Katabasis has different incarnations in cultures from around the world. From Izanagi and Izanami in Japan to Dante’s Inferno in Italy, this ubiquitous trope transcends culture and history.

     The piece begins quietly with a winding, chromatic fugue as we tentatively begin our descent to the underworld. Then, suddenly, the tempo takes off, and we dive headlong into the black abyss. Rushing through darkness, we quickly find ourselves in the hellish depths of the underworld. The music races and races until a screaming chromatic cluster abruptly brings the first half to a close. Here, the piece undergoes a transition as the muttering and chattering from a multitude of dead souls underscores an inverted version of the opening fugue theme. Any katabasis must be followed by an anabasis, a return from the underworld, in order to be considered a true katabasis instead of merely a death. Therefore, the second half of the piece is a resurgence from the depths of hell to the bright light of heaven. The chromatic, dissonance of hell gives way to the consonance and purity of light. The piece soars ever upwards, undergoing a resurrection befitting of the title of the quartet who commissioned the work.