Saxophone - concertos and otherwise

Ciel_Rouge · February 06, 2009, 05:59:37 PM

OK so I found out there are concerti for the saxophone

As I have some inclinations towards liking this instrument and yet it is still largely unexplored in my case, I would like to ask you for recommendations in two main directions:

- saxophone concerti
- non-classical pieces like jazz

However, I prefer pieces where the saxophone "really" sounds like saxophone - all those colours and hues that make it different from "other woodwind" instruments. I like this relaxing, soothing, sometimes haunting sound. I am looking forward to your suggestions.

DavidRoss · February 07, 2009, 06:35:39 AM

In classical I suggest Dahl's concerto for alto sax. Recordings are hard to come by. A good one is on MTT/NWSO's disc of music by Dahl.

Jazz is the real domain of the saxophone and you can spend a lifetime exploring this treasure trove. Go back to Sidney Bechet and up to Joshua Redman, with much dallying along the way for Charlie Parker, Lester Young, John Coltrane, Dewey Redman, Stan Getz, Gato Barbieri, Ornette Coleman, Paul Desmond, Wayne Shorter, Eric Dolphy, Ernie Watts, Dexter Gordon, Joeseph Jarman, Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker, Pharoah Sanders...the list goes on and on and on. Tell you what...start with a timeless classic that everyone should have which features some sweet self-effacing playing by Paul Desmond: Dave Brubeck's Time Out. Or if you're very adventurous and willing to get your ears bent, give Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come a try.

Sergeant Rock · February 07, 2009, 06:58:00 AM

Quote from: Ciel_Rouge on February 06, 2009, 05:59:37 PM
I like this relaxing, soothing, sometimes haunting sound. I am looking forward to your suggestions.

One of my favorite classical works that employs the saxophone is Allan Pettersson's Symphony #16. I think it's misnamed: sounds more like a sax concerto to me since the saxophone is seldom not in the sound picture. A word of warning though: "relaxing, soothing" doesn't quite define the first section which is marked "Frenetico"

If you aren't already familiar with Pettersson's language, you might want to sample before buying. Reasonably priced at JPC:

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/hnum/7118007?rk=classic&rsk=hitlist

Sarge

Guido · February 07, 2009, 07:10:31 AM

One of the best sax solos I've heard in classical music is in the first movement of Martin's cello concerto - sexy stuff! Also in Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances.

The Solo Sax piece Ku Ku on this CD is one of the best pieces for (non-piano) solo instrument in any genre I've ever heard.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/equivoxtrio

Todd · February 07, 2009, 07:44:31 AM

I've long been partial to Erwin Schulhoff's Hot Sonata for Saxophone and Piano. Not quite a concerto of course, and very jazz-like, but extremely good.

SonicMan46 · February 07, 2009, 08:42:10 AM

As David said in his reply, jazz saxophone is really worth exploring, just to add to his already long list - Gene Ammons, Cannonball Adderley, Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Henderson, Illinois Jacquet, Branford Marsalis, Frank Morgan, Jerry Mulligan, Art Pepper, Sonny Rollins, Zoot Sims, Beb Webster, and the list is still not complete - check out the Allmusic Guide jazz section; there are plenty of essays, and the jazz is arranged by type & period - recordings & descriptions for the saxophonists mentioned are available - determine which type of sax(es) you like & the periods - and don't forget about 'Big Band' music which often had multiple sax/clarinet players!

For classical saxophone, the pickings are much slimmer (the instrument was a later invention in the mid-19th century) - for discs devoted solely to this instrument, I have four that might be of interest but include chamber & orchestral works, along w/ transcriptions:

Saxology - four saxophonists on different instruments; some works for sax & others transcriptions.
Marsalis, Branford - Romances for Saxophone; his first & best in this 'crossover' genre IMO.
Music for Saxophone & Orchestra w/ Kerkezos/Brabbins; click HERE for Arkiv listing of works and re-printed review from Fanfare!
Ballades for Saxophone & Orchestra w/ Kerkezos/Brabbins; again, click HERE, as in the previous listing - good luck & please tell us your experiences & discoveries!

J.Z. Herrenberg · February 07, 2009, 08:55:49 AM

I like the Saxo-Rhapsody by Eric Coates a lot. It's 'light' music from the 1930s, but it captures perfectly pre-war Britain in the Jazz Age.

http://www.mediafire.com/?u5zynmmumto

DavidRoss · February 07, 2009, 10:05:36 AM

And there's always Debussy's Saxophone Rhapsody. If it's oddities you're after, I've a recording of the Art of Fugue performed by a saxophone quartet. I can't tell you who, offhand, since it's nowhere near the top of my playlist.

sporkadelic · February 07, 2009, 03:08:49 PM

If you don't know the Six Brown Brothers, check 'em out here:

http://www.redhotjazz.com/6brownbrothers.html

Warning: some of the song titles use racial stereotypes that are typical of the era (1910s).

Cato · February 07, 2009, 05:07:21 PM

The 2nd of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances uses a saxophone for a prominent section.

Senta · February 07, 2009, 10:39:51 PM

You have gotten many great recs so far!

This is my area, being a classical (and jazz) saxophone student, so I'll offer a few more...

Basically, the majority of our "core" literature has tended to be either older and French, or newer and American, though currently great and amazingly creative pieces are being written around the world that are deserving to find a place in the repertoire.

Besides concerti, you definitely will want to look up some of our sonatas, some of our very best (and most difficult!) literature is found there.

Particularly notable sonatas are those by:

Paul Creston
Robert Muczynski
John Worley
William Albright
Edison Denisov
Takashi Yoshimatsu (Fuzzy Bird Sonata)

The last one uses a lot of clever writing and extended techniques to really show off the horn's colors and is a big favorite of mine!

Here is a performance (note the use of "slaptongue" around 4:10!):

http://www.youtube.com/v/PpS8ZmF73lE

There are lots of great pieces that I would say are sonatas, I guess, but are longer and don't fall into a definite category, here a few French favorites:

Darius Milhaud: Scaramouche
Alfred Desenclos: Prelude, Cadence et Finale
Roger Boutry: Divertimento
Paul Maurice: Tableaux de Provence

A couple of "biggies" I have personally performed and absolutely loved are:

Jacques Ibert - Concertino da Camera
Karel Husa - Elegie et Rondeau

Make sure you find a recording of both of those with orchestra if you can! They are awesome pieces.

Here is a good video of the Husa w/ orch (5:13 on was my favorite part, it just grooves):

http://www.youtube.com/v/PdZACv-C6HM

If you really want to hear some great examples of pushing the envelope as far as effects and colors, look up anything by Ryo Noda. His use of aleatoric elements and extended techinques is very cool. I have read he is strongly influenced by Japanese Shakuhachi playing, which you can tell on hearing the pieces!

Here is Mai played by Taimur Sullivan, who is awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/v/1voQyM-se1M

Try Christian Lauba too, he also has a really unique no-holds barred approach to saxophone writing (and loves slaptongue LOL!)

Listen to Jungle:

http://www.youtube.com/v/ylAfLirsY5c

Also pieces you should hear for saxophone alone:

Berio - Sequenza 9b
Stockhausen - In Freundschaft

The Paganini Caprices also have been transcribed for solo saxophone and are fascinating to hear, the fine Dutch saxophonist Raff Hekkema has taken them on as a project and has an excellent recording out. The range of colors is amazing, sometimes he sounds like a trumpet, sometimes a flute, and occasionally like a violin...he deals with the double stops by turning them into multiphonics either by fingerings or by singing another pitch while playing!

Hekkema with No. 24 (bad quality vid):

http://www.youtube.com/v/8y7FRyLs4c0

For a more complete list of good classical stuff, look up repertoire on college websites, here are a couple of lists of pieces all worth checking out:

http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/saxophone/literature.shtml
http://faculty.swosu.edu/keith.talley/share/files/swosu_sax_rep.pdf

If you look for those on YouTube, you can find decent performances of many of them.

I didn't talk much about saxophone quartets, but may post later about some of those...

Ciel_Rouge · February 08, 2009, 07:45:23 AM

Thank you all for such a wide variety of recommendations, I shall let you know what has come out of this. I also think we have just created a great saxophone thread for discussing saxophone recordings

pjme · February 08, 2009, 10:44:01 AM

Quote from: Guido on February 07, 2009, 07:10:31 AM
One of the best sax solos I've heard in classical music is in the first movement of Martin's cello concerto - sexy stuff! Also in Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances.

The Solo Sax piece Ku Ku on this CD is one of the best pieces for (non-piano) solo instrument in any genre I've ever heard.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/equivoxtrio

Martin's second pianoconcerto has such a great saxsolo aswell.

Unrecorded...but quite lovely : a doubleconcerto sax & piano & orch. by Raymond Chevreuille.

P.

bhodges · February 08, 2009, 04:01:54 PM

Many great suggestions here. If you are inclined toward contemporary music, the Prism Saxophone Quartet is terrific, and among other things, commissions works from living composers. They have a few recordings, here.

--Bruce

Dundonnell · February 08, 2009, 04:14:24 PM

i will throw into the mix-

Nicolas Flagello's Concerto Sinfonico for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra
Philip Glass's Concerto for Saxophone Quartet
Alexander Glazunov's Concerto for Alto Saxophone
Frank Martin's Ballade for saxophone and Orchestra
Robert Ward's Saxophone Concerto

and-my favourite and a recent discovery-the Saxophone Concerto by the British composer Edward Gregson(available on Chandos).

bhodges · February 08, 2009, 04:23:17 PM

The Glazunov is gorgeous, a real find. I used to have it on a DG LP recording of saxophone concertos.

--Bruce

Dundonnell · February 08, 2009, 04:29:47 PM

Quote from: bhodges on February 08, 2009, 04:23:17 PM
The Glazunov is gorgeous, a real find. I used to have it on a DG LP recording of saxophone concertos.

--Bruce

Now transferred to cd, Bruce. Found it for peanuts on Amazon

bhodges · February 08, 2009, 04:46:56 PM

Quote from: Dundonnell on February 08, 2009, 04:29:47 PM
Now transferred to cd, Bruce. Found it for peanuts on Amazon

Oh I'm delighted to hear this! Somehow I've never run across it in my browsing (and I guess just didn't do a simple search on Amazon, and of course, just looked and...voila, there it is...

). I played the LP to death when I got it, since I liked all four works. The Dubois was also a real find--never heard anything else by this composer.

--Bruce

Ciel_Rouge · February 09, 2009, 08:18:21 AM

I already went through the samples you provided and out of those I liked most:

Quintessence Saxophone Quintet
Alliage Quartett
Raaf Hekkema

It turns out I like tenor sax above all and the alto sax a little bit too.

I also like the "carnatic saxophone", I gather there is also something called "carnatic violin".

I haven't examined the jazz suggestions completely, so I will let you know as soon as I make my choices there.

I think we created a great saxophone thread and we can also discuss anything sax-related here for everyone to enjoy.

Ciel_Rouge · February 15, 2009, 01:17:49 PM

Hi,

Thanks for another example, this however is more like a general contribution to the sax thread as I now see that I am definitely more inclined towards baroque transcriptions or 19th century compositions for the sax as far as sax in the classical is concerned (jazz is a completely different matter of course). Great signature by the way - I do not know much about Frank Zappa's music but I find his quotes just plain amazing

Saxophone - concertos and otherwise

sporkadelic

pjme

bhodges

bhodges

bhodges