This is a reduction for saxophone and piano of the original for saxophone and string orchestra. The orchestral parts are also available - GMCO171.
In 2006 when I was living on the beautiful island of Mallorca I wrote an Oboe Concerto for Nicholas Daniel who gave the premiere in May 2008 at The English Music Festival. Nick also recorded the work on the Dutton label with Gavin Sutherland and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. After a recent posting on YouTube in 2019 of the slow movement, The Unusual Quietness of Snow, Nick suggested that it would work very well on soprano saxophone, so I made this version of the Concerto for the young saxophonist, Robert Burton.
The first movement "Allegro energico" is a lively conversation where the saxophone takes the lead, pitted against the strings, in a blended mix of boisterous eruptions and loftier linear lines. The movement passes through various keys and while themes are not exactly developed they are spat out at each other, enjoying their playful correspondence.
In stark contrast the central elegy, "The unusual quietness of snow" is a slow and poignant expression of sadness and loss. At a difficult time in my life, a few days before my Mother's death, it seemed strange that a heavy, early morning snowfall in the first days of March could have provided a sense of calmness and unity at a time of extreme emotion. It was a snowfall and a quietness I shall never forget, and I remember thinking how comforting and beautiful it was - the large heavy flakes falling slowly and silently, as if out of a mark of respect. Opening with quiet sustained chords in the strings the saxophone enters with an expressive theme that continually rises and falls, deepening in emotional intensity. Eventually the theme is taken up by the strings and joined by the saxophone as it reaches its highest point - leaving the movement to subside into calm, quiet, and eventual rest.
The final movement, "September music" is a spirited evocation of Summer's end. Whilst the general feeling is still of warmth and lightness, there is a certain nostalgia in the central passages, hinting that Summer is on the way out and the season about to change. Paul Carr
Duration 16 minutes
Item prices quoted on our website do not include delivery. All delivery charges are calculated by order value.
Deliveries to the United Kingdom
All deliveries within the UK are sent by Royal Mail First Class Post or 24-Hour Parcelforce dependent on weight. Please see our notes on Delivery Times below for more information.
Deliveries to Europe & The Rest of the World
If you would like to place an order but you live outside the United Kingdom, please email us at sales@scorestore.co.uk with your requirements and we'll do our best to help you.
Delivery Times
We aim to dispatch every order within 24 hours excluding weekends.
However, we have learned from experience not to make promises regarding delivery. We aim simply to provide you with a reliable service at a reasonable cost. To keep our prices competitive we do not keep huge stocks of any particular item. No matter how good our stock control, there will occasionally be times when a particular item is not immediately available.
Sometimes this will be due to overwhelming demand, and sometimes it will be due to circumstances beyond our control, such as the item having gone to reprint or out of print. You should be aware that your payment is taken automatically online at the time you place your order. In the circumstances outlined above, we will do our best to contact you and inform you of any anticipated delays. You may cancel your order at any time if you are not happy to wait.
Although we make every effort to ship your order according to these guidelines, we will not be held responsible for any loss or damage caused by delayed delivery.
Stock information:
Regularly updated stock information is now available to view online at ScoreStore. This information can, on occasion, be incorrect due to delays of up to 12 hours in updating. Our system will also allow you to order more items than we have in stock at any one time. If you require urgent delivery of a large order, please contact us to confirm current stock levels. Our Freephone number is 0800 072 0354 and we are in the office 9-5, Monday to Friday.
If you wish to cancel your order prior to dispatch, please email us at sales@scorestore.co.uk. We will terminate the transaction and refund any payments already made relating to your order. Once an order has been dispatched, we will accept returns where they meet the following conditions:
In the event that your item is faulty you may return it to us within thirty days and we will refund the cost of the item and reimburse the cost of returning the item to us.
If our error has led to an item has been mistakenly supplied to you and it is unopened and in as-new condition, you may return it to us within thirty days and we will refund the cost of the item and reimburse the cost of returning the item to us.
If you have decided that you do not wish to keep an item that has been correctly supplied, you may return it to us unopened in as-new condition within thirty days. In this case we will refund the cost of the item and you will be responsible for the cost of returning the item to us. You may not return items that we have ordered specially for you unless they are faulty or supplied in error.
If you wish to return an item to us, please email sales@scorestore.co.uk for instructions. We will not accept unsolicited returns arriving at our warehouse.
