Michael Nyman is a composer pianist librettist writer musicologist photographer and film-maker whose work encompasses opera concert music and film soundtracks of which The Draughtsman's Contract and The Piano arethe best-known. Since founding the Michael Nyman Band in 1977 which tours the world he has worked with leading film directors and has collaborated with artists such as Mary Kelly Damon Albarn Carsten Nicolai and the recentOscar winning Man on Wire star Phillippe Petit.Songs For Tony for String Quartet was composed in 1993 in memory of Tony Simmons.'I began writing a saxophone quartet on New Year's Eve 1992. Inthe early afternoon of 5th January 1993 I was informed that my friend and business manager Tony Simmons had died after a long and heroic fight against cancer. I immediately sat down and wrote the music which became the fourthsong in what became a 'memorial' quartet. The previously composed music was scrapped as I decided to give each player in turn an 'aria' of his own.The first song is a transcription of an actual song - 'Mozart onMortality' - which I wrote for the Composers Ensemble in the spring of 1992. The text by Mozart himself is all too appropriate: 'I may not see another day'. The second song is adapted from the music for the scene in JaneCampion's film The Piano where the mute Ada (Holly Hunter) pushes her chief means of communication her piano overboard. This film was the last major deal that Tony negotiated on my behalf. The third song a soprano sax solo isbased on a tune I composed some years ago but was saving for a special occasion.' - Michael Nyman

Conducteur et parties Saxophone Quartet (SATB) The Three Songs (Trois Chansons) dating from 1914/15 were arranged for four a cappella voices by Ravel immediately after he had written the music of these pieces. The lyrics were penned by the composer himself. The songs represent Ravel’s sole contribution to choral literature. The first song consists of three sections and tells the story of Nicolette, who sets out to pick flowers in the fields. Just like Little Red Ridinghood, she meets a wolf who asks her if she is on her way to her grandmother’s house (M.1-13). Fleeing from him, she meets a page who wonderswhether she would like to have him as her “lover true”. She dismisses his proposition though she finds it hard to do so (M. 14-39). In the third section, she encounters a plump, unhandsome man (lento!). He speaks to her:”Stay, stay, my Nicolette, all this gold I give to thee”, and - “VIVO” - Nicolette takes refuge in his arms. (M.40 to end). The Three Lovely Birds from Paradise are sky-blue, white as fallen snow and bright red - just like the colors of the Tricolore, the national flag of France - which has been interpreted in many reviews as a sign of an increasingly nationalistic attitude becoming apparent in the war year of 1914. This song mourns the loss of the beloved one who went to war. The Ronde is also made up of three sections. The old women are the first to sing (M.1-28). They warn the young maidens against entering the forest since it is inhabited by all kinds of dangerous (male) beasts. Then (M. 29 – 56) the old men warn the young lads against going into the woods because of the numerous (female) demons living there. The irony of the story is to be found in the final answer of the young people (as of M. 57), who conclude: “We will not go into the woods since the old folks have frightened off all the beasts, anyway.”

Swingin' Christmas Quartets. The concept of the successful Swing Quartets, Jazz Quartets and Groove Quartets publications is now also available in a Christmas edition: Bert Lochs has arranged four traditional Christmas songs in a swing style with combo accompaniment. The Swingin' Christmas Quartets are available for trumpet, flute, clarinet and alto saxophone quartets, and all four versions can be combined to create whichever instrumentation you require. The online audio for each piece contains not only a demo version with a full line-up?and a pure playback version?but additionally four versions in which each of the four wind voices is omitted in turn, making them ideal for practice purposes

as performed by Stevie Wonder. Par WONDER STEVIE / VAN HAAGEN BERT (ARR.). 'Isn't She Lovely ' est une chanson de Stevie Wonder tirée d'un album sorti en 1976, Songs in the Key of Life. Les paroles célèbrent la naissance de sa fille, Aisha Morris. Bert van Haagen a élaboré un arrangement facile pour quatuor de saxophones de cette très belle chanson. / Niveau : Elémentaire à Moyen / Date parution : 2019-11-14/ Recueil / 4 Saxophones