MP3 Christopher Brellochs - Apotheosis of the Saxophone

A transformation of music written for classical saxophone and piano into an experience of the sublime; contains works by French and American composers.

14 MP3 Songs in this album (68:19) !
Related styles: CLASSICAL: Sonata, CLASSICAL: Contemporary

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ABOUT THE MUSIC

SONATA (1974) was written by American composer JOHN WORLEY (1919-1999) for saxophone virtuoso Sigurd Rascher (1907-2001). The Sonata is in three movements. The first is marked âwith intensityâ and begins with a broad upward sweep in the saxophone. The second movement is labeled âwith contemplationâ and contains long melodic lines with a floating quality. The third movement is played âwith exhilarationâ with a lightly playful theme and a glorious ending.

SONATINE (1948) was composed by Paris born CLAUDE PASCAL (b. 1921) who attended the Paris Conservatory from the age of ten, winning four premiers prix (1937, 1940, 1943, 1944) and the Prix de Rome (1945). The Sonatine is a large one-movement work with three sections. The first has a lilting quality with an extended cadenza at its end. The second section is slow with repeated harmonies in the piano and broad melodic phrases in the saxophone. The third section features dazzling articulation and driving rhythms.

BRILLIANCE (1974) was written by French composer and educator IDA GOTKOVSKY (b. 1933). Brilliance is in four movements. The first, âDéclaméâ, is marked âquasi recitativoâ. The second movement is labeled âDésinvolteâ which literally means cheeky or glib. The sweetly lyrical third movement, âDolcissimoâ, exchanges the melody from the saxophone to the piano and back, interspersed with rhapsodic sweeps harkening back to the first movement. The âFinalâ movement showcases odd meters and virtuosic runs.

NEUF ÉTUDES (1992-1994) was written by CHRISTIAN LAUBA (b. 1952), a French composer born in Sfax, Tunisia, Africa. Neuf Études was composed after saxophonist and pedagogue Jean-Marie Londeix requested a set of modern etudes for the instrument. Balafon is an âetude for the mastery of circular breathing, delicate dynamics, sound quality with a full clear tone as well as subtoneâ. (Neuf Études, Alphonse Leduc 1996)

FANTASY PIECE (1980) was written by American composer RONALD CARAVAN (b. 1946). Fantasy Piece was composed for solo soprano saxophone, but may also be performed on soprano clarinet. It consists of two alternating sections; the first slow and smooth, the second fast and accented, with extremes in register prominent in both.

LESSONS OF THE SKY (1985) was written by American composer RODNEY RODGERS (b. 1953). The piano part features motor-like rhythms shifting seamlessly between constantly changing meters; the saxophone begins with similar accented melodies until floating into sustained notes over the continuing piano part. Eventually both dissolve into a placid texture, only to return with an energetic section that builds to a climatic ending.

SONATA (1961/1997) was composed by JOHN DAVID LAMB (b. 1935) who wrote, âSaxophone music has run through my compositional output like a red thread ever since I first heard Sigurd Rascher in 1960â¦gradually through the patient encouragement of Paul Cohen, the sonatina matured into a new, full-grown sonata retaining little more than the basic thematic material from the earlier version, though the original light-hearted and occasionally sassy mood still prevailsâ. (To the Fore Publishers)


ABOUT THE ARTIST

CHRISTOPHER BRELLOCHS is an active saxophonist as well as a full time instructor of music at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York where he serves as Chair of the Music Certificate Program and Department Supervisor of Music.

As a classical saxophonist, Christopherâs numerous performances include the solo in Mussorgskyâs âPictures at an Exhibitionâ at Carnegie Hall, a solo recital at the 32nd International Saxophone Symposium hosted by the U.S. Navy Band, and recording of the music of Alfred Reed under the composerâs baton.

Christopher has delivered lectures at the Manhattan School of Music and the 2008 College Music Society Conference based on papers he has written such as, âBenjamin Britten and the Saxophoneâ. His article, âAaron Coplandâs Use of the Saxophone in Wind Band Repertoire,â was published in the Journal of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE, Volume 14, 2007).

Christopher's studies have included a bachelor's degree from Ithaca College where he studied classical saxophone with Steven Mauk, a master's degree from New York University where he studied jazz saxophone with Ralph Lalama and Ted Nash, a doctorate from Rutgers University where he studied classical saxophone with Paul Cohen, and two weeks in Bordeaux, France with Jean-Marie Londeix.


SOHEE LEE, piano (tracks 1-4, 11)
YING C. CHEN, piano (tracks 5-8)
STELLA CHIA-SHAN CHENG, piano (tracks 12-14)