Piano Reduction including solo part. Par DENISOV EDISON. The catalogue of Edison Denisov's works includes 16 concertos. It was a genre to which he returned time and again throughout his life, from the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra of 1972 to the Double Concerto for Flute, Clarinet and Orchestra of 1996. In Denisov's music the role of the soloist, or rather the protagonist, is extraordinarily important, not so much for its virtuosity as for its confessional character. The solo part is a monologue distinguished by poetic diction and a very personal message from the composer. The dramaturgical conception of the Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra, a reworking of the Viola Concerto of 1986, draws on traditional sonata form, thereby reaffirming the ubiquitous classicism in Denisov's thought. In this late work, we find all the typical features of his style: sinuous melodic lines layered into dense contrapuntal textures, and an interplay of orchestral colours, with pure sonorities contrasting with complex mixtures of sounds. It is a perfect dramaturgy that governs the evolution of the music to the very end. The first movement assumes the role of a sonata-allegro, with the standard formal sections of exposition, development, recapitulation and coda. The second movement is an Adagio for strings. The third takes the form of a little contrasting intermezzo that introduces both new thematic material and a new range of colours. Here tunefulness gives way to pointillism enriched with sonic effects. The only movement with a virtuosic solo part, its nervousness and inner tension set it worlds apart from the second and fourth movements that surround it. The fourth movement assumes the traditional form of a final set of variations. It is the dramaturgical and semantic heart of the concerto. The theme of the variations is Franz Schubert's Impromptu in B-flat major, op. 142, which in this case is 'born' from the celesta as the product of a dodecaphonic string cluster. This finale represents Denisov's homage to his great mentor, Schubert's music being for him a symbol of eternal and universal beauty. 'The attentive listener', Denisov stressed, 'will recognise that the Impromptu theme is already suggested very slowly in the course of the three preceding movements, not only thematically, but also psychologically. That's what makes the appearance of the Schubert theme sound so natural.' The variations relate to the variation genre less in their form than in their spiritual and conceptual metamorphoses. It is, one might say, 'music round about Schubert'. (Ekaterina Kouprovskaia-Denisova)/ Répertoire / Saxophone Alto et Piano

The Grade By Grade series draws on the rich and varied Boosey and Hawkes catalogue of classical, contemporary and educational repertoire, highlighting composers including Serge Prokofieff, Dmitri Shostakovich, Karl Jenkins, Carol Barratt and Christopher Norton, alongside arrangements of traditional music from around the world by Peter Wastall, Vera Gray and others. Carefully selected by Janet Way, this practical anthology provides the complete repertoire resource for the aspiring Grade 3 saxophonist and creates the perfect package for teaching, exam preparation and performance. Each volume contains:19 pieces and short studies, each complemented by a useful practice and performance tipgrade-appropriate scales and arpeggios linked to the repertoire through bespoke text and exercisesbrand new sight-reading activitiesnewly-commissioned aural awareness tasksa piano accompaniment bookletPackaged with a CD of full performance demonstrations, piano backing tracks, and grade-appropriate aural awareness resources. Janet Way is an experienced performer and teacher. She is a tutor for the LRAM woodwind teaching course at the Royal Academy of Music, and has worked as a mentor and diploma examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. She is founder and director of the internationally-acclaimed Oxford Flute Summer School. / Saxophone Alto Et Piano

The Grade By Grade series draws on the rich and varied Boosey and Hawkes catalogue of classical, contemporary and educational repertoire, highlighting composers including Serge Prokofieff, Dmitri Shostakovich, Karl Jenkins, Carol Barratt and Christopher Norton, alongside arrangements of traditional music from around the world by Peter Wastall, Vera Gray and others. Carefully selected by Janet Way, this practical anthology provides the complete repertoire resource for the aspiring Grade 3 saxophonist and creates the perfect package for teaching, exam preparation and performance. Each volume contains:19 pieces and short studies, each complemented by a useful practice and performance tipgrade-appropriate scales and arpeggios linked to the repertoire through bespoke text and exercisesbrand new sight-reading activitiesnewly-commissioned aural awareness tasksa piano accompaniment bookletPackaged with a CD of full performance demonstrations, piano backing tracks, and grade-appropriate aural awareness resources. Janet Way is an experienced performer and teacher. She is a tutor for the LRAM woodwind teaching course at the Royal Academy of Music, and has worked as a mentor and diploma examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. She is founder and director of the internationally-acclaimed Oxford Flute Summer School. / Saxophone Alto Et Piano