Alexander Glazunov Saxophone Concerto Pdf 11
Favio Lavaki
The Concerto in E flat major for alto saxophone and string orchestra, Op. 109, was written by Alexander Glazunov in 1934. The piece lasts about fourteen minutes and is played without pause. It is deeply rooted in Romanticism, and has entered the standard saxophone repertoire.
Although invented in the early 1840s, the saxophone was still fairly new and unfamiliar in Glazunov's day; it remained untouched for a long time as it was considered "middle class". However, Glazunov was enthralled by the sound of the saxophone: a new timbre in the musical world.[1]
The work premiered in Nykping, Sweden, on 25 November 1934, with Sigurd Raschr, a famous German saxophonist, as soloist. It is Raschr who is credited for bringing about the concerto's composition. He hounded Glazunov for a saxophone concerto, so much so that the composer wrote to a colleague that he had started the piece in March "under the influences of attacks rather than requests from the Danish (sic) saxophonist named Sigurd Rascher". He completed the work in June 1934. According to French saxophonist Marcel Mule, Glazunov had a reading of the piece with him prior to its publication, the composer playing the piano part.[2]
Glazunov almost certainly never heard his Saxophone Concerto publicly performed, as the first Paris performance of the work did not occur until after his death. He made no mention in his letters of any collaboration with another composer on the concerto. However, in 1936, the publishing company made an addition to the piano reduction: they added A. Petiot as a second composer, probably for copyright purpose as it was common for Soviet Union artists.[1]
The concerto consists of a single movement that opens with the strings playing the main theme. The melody is then played by the soloist. The strings provide a lush background texture. Several musical themes follow. The saxophone begins to dominate with passages of scales and interval jumps. The opening part is in G minor while the central section is in Cb major.
The saxophone then intertwines the melody with lyrical themes of the strings. This interaction results in tonal color. This part features tempo shifts. The saxophone then plays a cadenza that leads to the Fugato part.
Syncopated rhythms are introduced in the orchestra. The saxophone soloist plays the melody which are taken up by the strings. The tempo slows down as high notes are featured. A call and response pattern then emerges as the coda is revealed. The climax occurs with the saxophone playing a note that the strings then finish out.
Some well-known saxophonists have made recordings of this piece, including John-Edward Kelly,Arno Bornkamp,Gary Louie Joe Lulloff,Christopher Creviston, Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Lawrence Gwozdz, John Harle, Theodore Kerkezos, Robert Eason,Karel Krautgartner, Jean-Marie Londeix, Marcel Mule, Kenneth Radnofsky,Debra Richtmeyer, andEugene Rousseau.
As the excitement and intensity builds, Glazunov introduces some intricate syncopated rhythms that bounce between the voices within the orchestra. The soloist leads with the melody, with fragments being passed to different voices in the strings. A quick revert back to a slower tempo leads the music in a climactic section where the saxophone hits some high notes. As the coda is set up by Glazunov during the last minute of the piece, the soloist pushes the tempo as a call and response figure plays out. The concerto ends with an exciting resolution as the saxophone squeaks one last note out before the strings finish.
Written in 1934, this alto sax concerto is a fourteen-minute piece dedicated to Sigmud M. Rasher, a famous Saxophonist and soloist. Initially composed for saxophone and strings, there was no mention of a second composer, even though the 1936 publication adapted for saxophone and piano mentioned the name by Andr Petiot.
The concerto starts with an Allegro moderato in 4-4, followed by an Andante transition mainly in C-flat Major at 3-4, and ending on a Fugueto in 12-8. The first performance of this concerto in public occurred after the death of its author, in Paris.
The Concerto in E flat major for alto saxophone and string orchestra, Op. 109, was written by Alexander Glazunov in 1934. It is deeply rooted in Romanticism, and has entered the standard saxophone repertoire.
The work premiered in Nykping, Sweden, on 25 November 1934, with Sigurd Raschr, a famous German saxophonist, as soloist. It is Raschr who is credited for bringing about the concerto's composition. He hounded Glazunov for a saxophone concerto, so much so that the composer wrote to a colleague that he had started the piece in March "under the influences of attacks rather than requests from the Danish (sic) saxophonist named Sigurd Rascher". He completed the work in June 1934.
Until today I have not heard a recording in which what the composer wrote is played note by note, the phrase is rather continued in sixteenth notes adding a ritardando from the beginning of the triplets towards the end of the phrase. There are cases in which the phrase is even played in sixteenth notes and the ritardando does not arrive until the last measures of the phrase.
Another factor that influenced the changes to the cadenza were the different editions of the Concerto. We can see how changes were made deliberately from one edition to another. The following excerpt shows a comparison between two editions where changes in articulation at certain passages of the cadenza are clear.
The comparison shows that in the original cadenza, the passage is written in sixteen notes and the articulation is grouped as two legato, six staccato. In a modern version, the articulation is two legato, two staccato, while on the third measure of the phrase the notes are arranged in groups of four slured notes. This is a rare occurrence, since of several modern versions analyzed, this is the only one with this kind of articulation. The reason for this change in phrasing is obvious. By slurring some of the notes, the passage becomes easier, and making groups of four sixteenth notes, gives more time for the tongue to rest and re-articulate.
These are just some of the differences when it comes to reinterpreting the cadenza, but how can one know which is the correct interpretation and which is not? One of the characteristics already mentioned is that most cadenzas have an improvisational character or are completely improvised, therefore, defining what is correct or incorrect is not the best approach. To give an example of how the original cadenza sounds without many changes related to the original, there is the recording by Marcel Mule, one of the first saxophonists to perform and record this concerto. There is also a recording by one of his most outstanding students, Jean-Marie Londeix, successor as the representative figure of the French classical saxophone school in France.
These two versions serve as a departure point to make a comparison against versions of the cadenza that may differ from the original to a greater extent. Such is the recording by Claude Delangle, who is considered the master of French saxophone school nowadays. Delangle decides to slur the passage of sixteenth note in some parts, to demonstrate speed and technique rather than articulation, which gives the passage a different character.
On the other hand, we have two examples of improvised cadenzas, the first one of a young Zimin Nikita who shows his extensive command of the classical saxophone language, as well as his mastery of the instrument in his performance of the cadenza. What is most interesting is that even though his cadenza is clearly improvised, he adds some passages and rhythms of the original cadenza, proposing a very interesting approach.
The second example of an improvised cadenza is found in the recording of the Prague Proms of 2015 by saxophonist Branford Marsalis, in which he demonstrates a great technique, thus little use of the suggested articulation, and decides to move away from the original material. Even with these differences, he delivers a good development of the cadenza.
In conclusion, these are just some of the ways in which musicians can approach the performance of the cadenza from the Glazunov Concerto. Cadenzas give performers, a space to demonstrate their originality and creativity, and give the work the possibility to reinvent itself over time. Styles and sounds of the saxophone schools have changed over time, therefore, the cadenza has evolved to better fit to modern performance practices. Only time will tell what new developments and additions may continue to enrich this tradition of finding the balance between written and improvised passages.
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