Irrecoverable Condition - Zaher Alkaei

String quartet by Zaher Alkaei
August 2024

Titled Irrecoverable Condition, the piece explores the deep yearning for a past that can never be fully recaptured. It reflects on moments, experiences, and emotions that have slipped away, impossible to relive exactly as they once were. As time marches on, even revisiting the places or people tied to these nostalgic memories reveals that both the context and the individual have inevitably changed.

The composition is built on a heptatonic microtonal scale—specifically, the Neutral Hypophrygian scale (in quarter-tone intervals: 3 4 3 4 3 3 4). Uncommonly for this type of scale, the focus here is on harmonic relationships rather than melodic motifs, diverging from traditional practices in different maqams.