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Iannis Xenakis was not known for his attraction to woodwind instruments, and certainly not to the saxophone. In fact, he wrote for this instrument but once. Xas, however, is a highly successful piece, and has entered into the repertoire for saxophone quartet. This composer was attracted to string instruments, and if one omits the vibrato from the sound, the pure tone of the saxophone can sound remarkably similar to a cello. In any case, after persistent requests from the Rascher Quartet,
Xenakis penned his saxophone quartet, exploring a range of sonorities and extended techniques, and explicitly forbidding the use of vibrato! One effect he scrupulously avoids is the glissando, perhaps to avoid any connotation of blues
Xenakis explores the possibilities of multiphonic sounds, where one player produces more than one tone simultaneously, to provide a raucous contrast to the sweet modal harmonies of other passages. The occasional use of microtones enhances the exotic resonances of the music.
