ECHO Rising Stars / Kebyart Ensemble - NOSPR

Only patented in 1846, the saxophone gained quite a popularity in the 20th century, and not only in jazz. Nobody said that you could not arrange classics properly to be played by the sax only, particularly when you make use of the varying scales and sizes of the wind instrument. Schmitt’s piece is one of the first to use a whole quartet of those and lead the saxophonic counterpoints artfully. This composer represents the French fraction in the concert, while the German-Austrian one is represented by a selection of Lieder ohne Worte for piano by the Mendelssohn siblings and Widmann’s new piece. The latter composer is well-versed in the saxophone’s capabilities, as he is a professional playing the clarinet, an instrument of rather similar structure. For dessert, Leonard Cohen is waltzing with Death in Vienna.

Duration of the concert: approx. 60 minutes