The Golden Age of the Saxophone

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Kirsten Flagstads Plass 1,
0150 Oslo

The Golden Age of the Saxophone

Description

An evening dedicated to the classical saxophone The saxophonist Soran Lind brings out the golden age of the saxophone at Scene 2 - the period when the instrument had its great breakthrough in art music. The young Norwegian saxophonist Soran Lind is a new name to note on the international classical music scene. At Scene 2 he takes the audience back to the golden age of the saxophone - the period when the instrument truly found its place in classical music. With him at the piano is Eirik Haug Stømner. It would take a long time before the classical saxophone got a repertoire of its own in art music. The instrument was invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s, but it was not until the interwar period that the real breakthrough came. - The saxophone is actually somewhat unloved in the profession, especially in Norway. It is one of the few instruments that is not part of the symphony orchestras. This is partly because the instrument was not invented until the 1840s. Some composers were actually banned for including the saxophone in their works, Lind has previously told Ballade. French repertoire In France a wave of new compositions arose that lifted the saxophone to a high artistic status. Virtuosos such as Marcel Mule commissioned and premiered works from the composers of the day - and helped create what is often called the golden age of the saxophone, roughly from 1920 to 1950. The programme reflects precisely this period. Here we meet composers such as Eugène Bozza, Paule Maurice, Florent Schmitt and Alfred Desenclos - central names in the French tradition that shaped the saxophone's classical identity. From Demersseman's brilliant Fantasy on an Original Theme to Bozza's lyrical Aria and Maurice’s colourful Scenes of Provence, the music shows the instrument's expressive range: from singing elegance to technical virtuosity. Familiar tunes by Georges Bizet and Darius Milhaud also gain new life in the encounter with the sound world of the saxophone. Programme Jules Demersseman Fantasy on an Original Theme Eugène Bozza Aria Paule Maurice Scenes of Provence Florent Schmitt Legend Alfred Desenclos Prélude, Cadence et Finale Georges Bizet L’Arlésienne Suite, Intermezzo Darius Milhaud Scaramouche, Valse