Saxophone concert not exclusive to saxes

Concert has piano accompaniment but alienates newcomers

Despite the 20 attendees to Wednesday's Evening With Saxophone,  the student performers displayed a truly inventive array of saxophone-orchestrated works ranging from William Grant Still's Romance  to Aaron Copland's Our Town  suite. All variations of the instrument were present, making for a wide dynamic range of sound, and student as well as faculty conductors added stylistic variation to the concert. However, to enjoy the concert, perhaps an initial fondness and understanding of the instrument was necessary.

Though misconceptions may have led one to think of this performance as a full stage filled strictly with saxophones, this was not the case - at least for the first piece. Conservatory senior Rebecca Miller conducted the William Grant Still Orchestra, featuring Double-degree senior Chanel Chambers on alto sax, the composer's Romance.  Chambers delivered the first note with complete clarity, and the orchestra followed her lead shortly afterward, moving the melody into a full effort. The tune was light and airy and Chambers played with ease, sweetly playing each arpeggio with renowned experience, simultaneously sexy and reserved.

Though Miller's direction was fairly standard and inexperienced, Chambers seemed to be in a different world, seizing the orchestra for herself and leading it with melodic saxophone bliss. Even in the nearly empty auditorium, the audience's applause was loud and appreciative.

Other than the second movement of William Albright's Sonata (1984), performed by Conservatory senior Tim Savage on alto saxophone with piano accompaniment from Andrew Bertoni, the rest of the evening's program consisted entirely of saxophone collaborations. But it was this piece which was truly beautiful: Bertoni initialized the mood with simplistic, soft and somber emotion. Savage gently eased into the piece a few bars later with amazingly smooth melody, somewhat flute-like in quality - entirely contradictory to the stereotypically loud saxophone sound.

The piece was later textured with staccato piano while Savage continued his fervent quietness. When he elaborated, the effects were amazing: one particular note at the climax of the piece was held for a particularly long time, adding strength to the piano's growing intensity. Still more enjoyable were his talented altisimos, reaching notes traditionally unheard of. Then, as smoothly as it had started, each instrument withered down to its initial quietness. Savage turned his saxophone toward the piano, blending the sounds together for the close.

The remaining pieces were not as emotionally moving as their predecessors but still possessed innovative stylistic traits and demonstrated the uniqueness of music strictly for saxophone. For example, Michael Torke's July  (1994) was a series of flurrying keypads from a quartet of soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones; its energetic contemporary style filled the auditorium's empty seats with its flavorful melody. While the lower register saxophones kept the bass lines intact, the others continued their soft, quiet fluttering throughout the elongated melody.

Divertimento,  Karl Husa's three-part composition for the full saxophone ensemble, was somewhat dissonant, but was definitely an interesting addition to the evening's compilation of works. Though conductor Paul Cohen appeared to be struggling with his group, exaggerating his gestures with no response, the appeal of the piece rooted to its unusual melody rather than the technicalities involved. Though each movement was fairly brief, the full range of saxophones - from soprano to bass - left the audience with the illusion of a complete orchestra, rich with harmony.

Before the evening closed with Our Town,  Cohen briefly announced a goodbye to mid-year graduates Savage and college senior Geoff Mulvihill. Then, he led the orchestra into his own arrangement of the piece, a highly melodic interpretation considering the effort was entirely comprised of saxophonists. Thematic and dreamy, Cohen's conducting flowed evenly throughout, carrying on his group through reminiscent recollections from the play, yet still low-key enough enjoy as chamber music. This Evening With Saxophone,  though limited to the small number who went out on a limb to attend, ended sweetly with the single instrument's harmonious unity with itself.