Product Description

This is the fourth CD from the archive and studio of Philip Glass relased by Orange Mountain Music.

This CD of solo and all-saxophone compositions contains The world renowned Raschèr Saxophone Quartets brilliant recording of "The Saxophone Concerto (Quartet Version)". The Raschèr Quartet has performed this piece 90 times in the major concert halls of Europe and United States and it shows. This stunning recording was produced by Mr. Glass production team, Kurt Munkasci and Michael Riesman, in 1998 at the Looking Glass Studios.

Also represented is one of New Yorks preeminent woodwind players, Andrew Sterman, performing "Melodies for Saxophone", 13 shorter pieces for solo saxophone, some of which were inspiration for the Saxophone Concerto.

The disc is completed with a new recording, "The Windcatcher". The veteran Philip Glass Ensemble Woodwind players, Jon Gibson, Richard Peck, and Andrew Sterman performed this composition for saxophone sextet. Messrs. Gibson, Peck and Sterman have made enormous contributions to Philip Glass music for several years (over 70 years among them!) and their ongoing participation in the ensemble continues to assure its excellence. This Michael Riesman/Don Christensen-produced recording exhibits their extraordinary ensemble sensibilities and their keen understanding of Philips music. The Saxophone CD is 61 minutes long and has a 12 page booklet of liner notes providing background on the compositions, recordings and players.

.co.uk

Saxophone is the fourth disc to be released on Orange Mountain Music, a label which was established to bring music from Philip Glass's own archive and studio to a wider public. The three previous discs, which feature vocal and film music, have been welcomed by critics and Glass fans alike; this new CD promises to be equally well received. The disc opens with the quartet version of Glass' Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra, played by the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet which commissioned the work in 1995. The quartet has performed the concerto around 100 times to date and the players' intimate knowledge of the piece is clear. Throughout each of the four movements, the Raschèrs display supreme control and stamina--there is barely a bar's rest for anyone. The 13 Melodies for Saxophone, short solo pieces for soprano--alto, tenor and baritone sax--were originally written by Glass as incidental theatre music but went on to provide the musical sketches for the Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra. It is fascinating to hear the two works side-by-side. The Windcatcher, a reworking for saxophone quartet of a piece for flute and piano, rounds things off nicely. --Rebecca Agnew