Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1094449 in Music
• Released on: 2003-07-09
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Music of Ligeti*- Tanada*-Donatoni*- Xenakis - Gubaidulina
* World Premiere Recording
Christian Wirth, soprano saxophone
Sylvain Malézieux, alto saxophone
Fabrizio Mancuso, tenor saxophone
Gilles Tressos, baritone saxophone
The saxophone quartet repetoire has been constantly enriched over the past half-century, because this combination of four instruments belonging to the same family covers a wide range, from the highest to the lowest note obtainable, thus making it comparable to a string quartet. The ensemble also possesses a rich variety of timbres and playing techniques. Add to that the presence of some very fine ensembles such as the Habanera Quartet, who are always keen to enspire new works and it is easy to understand why composers have taken an interest in the genre. As 19th Century composers explored the possibilities of the piano, those of the second half of the 20th Century have investigated the qualities of the saxophone. Beautifully packaged with 26 page booklet with extensive notes in French and English.

Customer Reviews

A good survey of late 20th century sax quartet music
Post-war composers have written much for saxophone quartet. This disc explores music for this ensemble by three big names (Donatoni, Xenakis and Gubaidulina) and one less well-known one (Tanada) and an arrangement of a Ligeti classic.

I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone arranged Ligeti's near-omnipresent Six Bagatelles for saxophone quartet. The pungently Bartokian lines do go well on saxes, though I would still prefer the original version for wind quintet.

Fuminori Takada was a new name to me when I bought this disc. His Mysterious Morning II opens impressively, swirling sotto voce lines suddenly bursting into life then fading away again. If the second of the two movements of this work does not quite match up to the first, this is stll clearly the work of a composer to watch.

This disc pairs two related works by Donatoni--Rasch for saxophone quartet and Rasch II for saxophone quartet, piano and percussion. Both are impressive, Rasch's entire first half of pianissimo burblings suddenly bursts into flower in an almost chorale-like second half. The sequel develops much of the musical ideas in the first piece over a longer timespan.

Xenakis' saxophone quartet Xas is a typical work in his later style--the four saxes used as a single hypersaxophone, the music slow, harsh and almost ritualistic, very similar to his string quartet Tetora. It's an impressive work.

The last work on the disc is probably the weakest. Gubaidulina's In Erwartung is for saxophone quartet and six percussions and focuses a little too obsessively on the Dies Irae for my liking.

This is overall a good collection. The playing of the Quatuor Habanera is excellent, and a special note should be made of the excellent design of the disc--good quality notes, good artwork and, unusually for a non-conventional box, it isn't flimsy!