In 1978, Morton Feldman composed 'Why Patterns?', a work for flute, piano and glockenspiel in which each instrument has its own distinct identity. These striking timbres merge to create a unique sound world. The Collectief invited composers David Fennessy and Jean-Luc Fafchamps to write new pieces for this instrumentation, further exploring the musical and philosophical depth of Feldman’s work.

Every bird sings its own song. That this saying also applies to the world of music needs little explanation. Every instrument has its own character, its preferences, its quirks.

In traditional chamber music, composers tend to look for similarities. String quartets, wind quintets and piano trios remain safely within the large instrumental families – a homogeneous sound is the goal.

In the twenties of the previous century, Arnold Schoenberg founded the ‘Verein für musikalische Privataufführungen’ (Society for Private Musical Performances) with the help of his pupils Alban Berg and Anton Webern. Programming chiefly recent works that had been refused at the official concert venues, the society kept aloof from the mainstream conservative concert life. For want of a complete orchestra, many composers of the time wrote down‐sized versions of full‐fledged orchestral works.