This composition is in its own way meant to be a tribute dedicated to Paquito D'Rivera showing the author's appreciation for this musician as an exponent of Cuban music of the past and present century, who represents a stronghold and example for all musicians - in particular for saxophonists and clarinetists - not only in his capacity as a performer and composer but also as a cultivator of both sound worlds, the so-called classical music and its popular counterpart in its most ample interpretative spectrum. The piece consists of four movements: Allegro Moderato, Lento, Allegretto and Allegro con Fuoco. Its outstanding feature is the fusion of elements of jazz (such as the improvisation in the first and fourth movements, parts of which are accompanied by the piano with its interpretation being based on concepts characteristic of jazz or the 'tumbaos” to be found in Cuban music) and classical music. The second movement starts off with a short recitativo, followed by a mixture of phrases borrowed from contemporary music, Afro-Cuban styles and jazz, whose distinctive rhythmic cells and articulations clearly define the character of the movement and finally culminate in tempo primo. The third movement shows a certain 'casualness” and tranquility in its melody as well as in its accompaniment, including a cadenza the musician may execute at will - the movement then culminates either in an improvisation ad lib or in the mere execution of the melody as notated. The fourth movement is charged with spiritual energy. Saxophone and piano frequently trade phrases, and there is an abundance of improvised passages and jazz phrases. The movement finally ends in unison forte together with the piano. / Jazz / Recueil / Saxophone Alto ou Baryton et Piano

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

Ten playalong arrangements of classic symphonic themes for Alto Saxophone. Experience the thrill of playing complete movements with a full orchestral backing! / Saxophone

Three Piece Suite for alto saxophone and piano is a transcription made by the composer in 1996 of three movements from his Four Piece Suite for two pianos of 1974. First performed on 21 March 1996 by John Harle. Duration c. 10 minutes. Includes Score and Part. For ABRSM examinations. / Saxophone