A rare and exciting array of new-music talent takes to the stage for Metapraxis, presenting 20th- and 21stcentury string compositions.

Iconic composer, violinist and innovator Jon Rose joins adventurous local string quartet Atticus and an eclectic range of guests for the Australian premiere of Greek composer Jani Christou’s rarely-performed 1966 masterpiece, Praxis for 12 – a large-scale theatrical exploration of the tension between the expected and unexpected, the logical and illogical, played out through duelling strings.

Atticus also immerses you in the subtle sonic world of Anthony Pateras’s Crystalline and the explosive subversion of traditional string timbres via bass amps in Cat Hope’s Cruel and Usual; and the prolific and treasured Jon Rose directs a new version of his Strings and Fences II for amplified string octet and video. Each night also features forays into improvisation from special support acts.

Jani Christou described a ‘metapraxis’ as an action that goes against the implied logic of an art form – a destabilisation, an implosive gesture, a push against the norms. Metapraxis is a bold venture into this experience.