MACHINE

The all-sax PRISM Quartet presents a program of new music from an extraordinary collection of composers: Augusta Read Thomas, Bill Ryan, Renee Baker, Julius Eastman, and Aaron Nichols. The program is titled MACHINE, a nod to Mr. Ryan’s work, Tiny Machines. Patented in 1846, the saxophone is, after all, a product of the Industrial Revolution, standing apart from instruments like the flute and drums that evolved over millennia. Its inventor, Adolphe Sax, combined a woodwind and brass instrument to form a hybrid machine capable of soaring lyricism, blinding speed, and an enormous range of color and sound. The works on the program demonstrate a vast range of possibilities.