(Published in November 2021 - to read the full article, click here)
How did your concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble come about?
In the summer of 2021, I had a conversation with the Director of Bands at West Chester University, Dr. Andrew Yozviak. He asked if I was interested in performing a concerto with the wind ensemble. I relayed that I was very much interested, but that I needed to give some thought as to what concerto we might perform. Concerto literature for the soprano saxophone is quite diverse, and there is much of it, however, I find that within that diversity there are a plethora of examples in the extreme of any given subject, and not much that allows the saxophonist time to simply play. Time considerations present the second difficulty – some of the concertos that I appreciate most, are almost an hour long; many of the shorter ones present either extreme technical difficulties for the ensemble, or endless altissimo for the soloist. I’ve played soprano my entire life, and although I respect the endeavor of mastering its voice in the third to fourth register, it has never spoken to me on a musical level. I called Dr. Yozviak back and asked if it would be okay if I might add to the growing literature by writing my own concerto. He agreed and I set down to work!
Why did you choose the soprano saxophone for the solo voice?
I grew up almost exclusively as an improviser. In my early teenage years, I decided to devote myself exclusively to the soprano and tenor saxophones. Tenor was my initial love, and the addition of another saxophone has historically lent itself to the soprano (John Coltrane initially, and I grew up admiring and living close by to Tim Warfield and David Liebman). While dedicating myself more to exact (classical) repertoire, I simply decided to devote myself to soprano first. My improvising voice on the tenor is highly personal and I take many liberties with technique to arrive at some of the sonic possibilities – this presents greater difficulty when attempting to limit those liberties in the realm of concert music. Next on the horizon is a push toward confronting the alto saxophone canon of concert literature.
Let's talk about this piece compositionally. What is an interstice and how is it incorporated in your piece?
An ‘interstice’ is defined as an intervening space, usually very small. It comes from the Latin ‘to stand between’. At the outset of composition, I realized quickly that I wanted something unifying but somehow unrelated to the main movements of the concerto. Each interstice is virtually identical, but each time the scoring is different. In a sense they cleanse the palate and prepare for what is to come.
…..to read the full article, click here