U.S. Marines Concert

Just got back from the concert I mentioned. The players were wonderful
(I didn't harbor any prejudices despite their crew-cuts and military
uniforms) and the sound of four saxophones just incredible. The two
pieces of most interest were by Lior Novak (my favorite by far -- the
playing was top-notch and the music utterly sublime) and Curtis
Hughes. Here are the program notes (which also discussed one of the
other composers, Theophanos Dimiotis or Phanos Dymiotis -- but I
didn't find that piece as interesting and it didn't have any
microtonality that I could hear):

Lior Navok - Saxophone Quartet (1999)

The saxophone quartet as a musical medium is one of the richest in its
contrasting colors, versatility and expressions. For me, it is also
the closest to the human choir. While writing my saxophone quartet I
was intrigued to explore the ensemble's technical, timbral, rhythmical
and lyrical aspects. The four saxophones can create a homogeneous
texture, but can also express their own individuality and uniqueness.
Therefore, the quartet consists of five movements, and four
recitatives, one for each saxophone. The recitatives' purpose is
double: to feature one saxophone a time on one hand, and to lead to
the next movement on the other. Saxophone Quartet was commissioned by
the Fromm Music Foundation and received its first performance by the
Rascher Saxophone Quartet.

The music of Lior Novak (b. 1971) has been described by the Boston
Globe as "colorful, haunting, accomplished and exciting." It has been
performed in the United States, Europe, Mexico and Israel by such
ensembles as the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, Boston Modern
Orchestra Project, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Mexico City String
Quartet, Alea III, . . . [BIG SNIP] . . . His CS "Meditations Over
Shore" (available at www.liornovak.com) has received critical acclaim
and worldwide broadcasts. Novak holds a Doctor in Composition and a
Master of Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music in
Boston. He earned his double bachelor in Classical Composition and
Orchestral Conducting from the Rubin Academy of Music (Jerusalem, Israel).

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Curtis Hughes - Quartet for Saxophones (1999)

"Quartet for Saxophones" (1999) was originally written on a request
from Greg Ridlington and the Spectrum Saxophone Quartet, but was not
premiered until January 9 of 2002, when Greg and the other members of
the Marine Band Saxophone Quartet played it at the Library of Congress
in DC. I had first come to know Greg as an improviser through jam
sessions led by one of Boston's foremost avant-garde jazz giants,
Joseph Maneri, in which a heavy emphasis was placed on the use of
microtones, and on extremely kinetic improvisation. Thus, this piece
owes as much to the jazz tradition, and to the influence of Mr. Maneri
himself, as it does to any "classical" repertoire for the saxophone.
Certainly, while none of the music in my quartet is actually
improvised, it is of a raucous and rhythmically incisive nature which
encourages the musicians to inject their own personalities into the
piece. It is a great thrill to be finally witnessing the realization
of this music, much of which makes extraordinary technical demands on
the players, especially in the middle section of the piece which
features the prolonged use of quarter-tones, for which each instrument
needs to employ an unconventional fingering chart. The piece was
written mostly while I attended the Aspen Music Festival, and I must
confess to having in my mind at the time the need to write something
which would upset a few of the musical (and social) conventions with
which I found myself surrounded then . . .

Curtis Hughes (b. 1974) is a graduate of Oberlin College and Oberlin
Conservatory of Music, and is currently a Doctoral Student of Lee Hyla
at the New England Conservatory of Music. His orchestral and large
ensemble music has been performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra
Project, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, . . . [BIG SNIP] . . .

More information on "The President's Own" United States Marine Band is
available upon request.

--- In metatuning@y..., "paulerlich" <paul@s...> wrote:
> Just got back from the concert I mentioned. The players were
> wonderful and the sound of four saxophones just incredible.

Thanks for the review, Paul. You're right: a good sax quartet in full
roar is a force to be reckoned with! One other thing: due to both the
cross-fertilization from jazz usage, and the dearth of 'classical'
literature, players who form 'classical' sax quartets (ensembles) are
pretty adventurous and accepting WRT new literature, so it could be a
fertile field for microtonal composers, esp. if people are willing to
share notations and alternate fingerings...

Cheers,
Jon

Xenakis has a nice piece for saxes but the opening movement to the one Riley
wrote for Rova is in just and quite novel!

jonszanto wrote:

> --- In metatuning@y..., "paulerlich" <paul@s...> wrote:
> > Just got back from the concert I mentioned. The players were
> > wonderful and the sound of four saxophones just incredible.
>
> Thanks for the review, Paul. You're right: a good sax quartet in full
> roar is a force to be reckoned with! One other thing: due to both the
> cross-fertilization from jazz usage, and the dearth of 'classical'
> literature, players who form 'classical' sax quartets (ensembles) are
> pretty adventurous and accepting WRT new literature, so it could be a
> fertile field for microtonal composers, esp. if people are willing to
> share notations and alternate fingerings...
>
> Cheers,
> Jon
>
>
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-- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria island
http://www.anaphoria.com

The Wandering Medicine Show
Wed. 8-9 KXLU 88.9 fm

--- In metatuning@y..., "paulerlich" <paul@s...> wrote:

/metatuning/topicId_1525.html#1525

> Just got back from the concert I mentioned. The players were
wonderful
> (I didn't harbor any prejudices despite their crew-cuts and military
> uniforms) and the sound of four saxophones just incredible. The two
> pieces of most interest were by Lior Novak (my favorite by far --
the
> playing was top-notch and the music utterly sublime) and Curtis
> Hughes.

Lior Novak is quite a fine composer. I've been in contact with him
for several years, and I'm trying to find a slot for one of his
pieces on our concert series.

We also will be featuring music of Lee Hyla, apparently Curtis
Hughes, teacher...

Thanks for the update on the concert...

Joseph