Saxofon symphonisch

The saxophone is older than some people think: Invented by Adolphe Sax of Belgium in 1840, it was intended to close the tonal gap between the soft flexibility of the clarinet and the penetrating clarity of the oboe. It was not only wind orchestras that welcomed the saxophone; the Romantic orchestra also used it, an early example being in Georges Bizet’s incidental music to «L’Arlésienne». All this was before it developed into a mouthpiece for jazz in the 20th century. Still today, however, the fascination remains undimmed for the enormous possibilities of the instrument either on its own or, for example, in a quartet formation. This is demonstrated not least by a new saxophone festival at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, which includes a competition to decide the soloists for this concert. In this concert conducted by Fabien Gabel, the Alto Saxophone Concerto written in 1949 by the French composer Henri Tomasi and the Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra* by Bernd Richard Deutsch, premiered in Leipzig in 2021, show how versatile and expressive the instrument is in a symphonic context – especially when Albert Hosp explains historical facts and musical contexts.

* Austrian premiere on 8 April 2027 at the Festspielhaus St. Pölten.