Alto saxophone, piano
SKU:
FG.55011-432-6
Composed by Matthew
Whittall. Fennica Gehrman
#55011-432-6. Published
by Fennica Gehrman
(FG.55011-432-6).
ISBN
9790550114326.
Acco
rding to the composer,
the sonata for alto
saxophone and piano,
which he regards as his
first mature composition,
takes its title from the
astronomical term
referring to the
spacetime boundary in a
black hole beyond which
light can no longer
escape - a point of no
return. Event Horizons is
an intensely emotional
piece, stemming from
reflections on the
immensity of the universe
and one's own place in
it. The title was merely
a catalyst, an image that
sparked the creative
process. Whittall was
also greatly affected by
the spaciousness and
subtle intricacies of
Eastern music - the
gamelan music of Bali in
particularly.
Much of the resulting
music is reminiscent of
the ringing of bells or
gongs, which in so many
cultures has great
ceremonial and spiritual
importance. They can be
seen as a symbol of
connection between the
natural and meta-physical
worlds. At its core,
Event Horizons is an
intense rite of passage,
a quest for ultimate
understanding, and
perhaps reaches it, at
least in part.