Taking its title from a line in Czeslaw Milosz's poem "Calling to Order," and written during a period of personal crisis, What Chaos Received Bounds was inspired by the poem's sense of relentless, visceral upheaval and, as such, reflects something of my emotional state at the time. However, the piece also has an ecstatic, celebratory tone, emphasizing the rich sound of the tutti group and precise rhythmic interplay.

The overriding musical idea is of barely-bounded chaos, juxtaposing material that is static in various ways with buzzing and vibrant timbres and rhythms. The piece begins with quick cuts between two motives - one based on insistent but unpredictable leaps and accents, the other a mutated "BACH" theme. This is followed by a brief passage in which "pretty" harmonies are paired with an unusual metric modulation, which leads into the middle section, where the ensemble flies through a series of additive and subtractive processes on the chromatic idea that begins the section. After a grand pause, the opening music returns, driving with extra momentum toward the loud, complex, polyrhythmic finale.