Soprano Saxophone Concerto "Albireo Mode" - Takashi Yoshimatsu

Описание: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yutaka Sado. Nobuya Sugawa as the soloist.

I - Topaz. Andante tranquillo - Più mosso - Tempo I - Moderato - Meno mosso - Tempo I - Amabile - Meno mosso: 0:00
II - Sapphire. Andante misterioso - Moderato - Senza tempo - Allegro moderato - Amabile - Allegro - Più allegro - Andante pesante - Cadenza - Moderato - Meno mosso: 11:38

Yoshimatsu's Soprano Saxophone Concerto was composed between Autumn 2004 and Spring 2005, commissioned by Nobuya Sugawa with which Yoshimatsu had already written the alto saxophone concerto "Cyber-bird". It was premiered on April 29 of 2005, performed by the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sachio Fujioka, with Nobuya Sugawa as the soloist, also being the dedicatee of the concerto.

Both the composer and the soloist agreed in the need of a work that transcended the borders separating classical, ethnic and jazz from one another. Yoshimatsu already pointed to the eclecticism of his music in other pieces, being inspired not only by different genres of music, but by other things such as nature, birdsongs, stars and constellations. "Albireo" refers to the name of the double Beta star that sits at the beak of the constellation Cygnus, swan-shaped as the name suggests; these two stars shine respectively bright golden-yellow like a topaz and bluish-green like a sapphire.

In Kenji Miyazawa’s "Night of the Milky Way Railroad", there is a memorable constellation that serves as the "Albireo Observatory", at which the flow of water in the celestial Milky Way river is measured. It serves as an image for the entrance to another starry world, the world of the beyond and of those who have passed on, a world completely unlike our own. Albireo Mode, or, if you wish, "Albireo style", symbolises the character of the soprano sax, which is two-fold, combining both coolness and heat, both beauty and depth. That is why Yoshimatsu named the cool and beautiful first part "Topaz" and the hot and deep second part "Sapphire".

The first movement is rhapsodic in nature. It begins with a slow and tender introduction from the percussion, from which the saxophone emerges with a lyrical canticle as the main theme, supported by strings, percussion and bird-like woodwinds. It is slowly unfolded, attempting but failing to culminate in a climax. There's hardly any contrast throughout the movement. After a contemplative passage dominated by the arabesques and ornamentations of the soloist, a more dynamic central section opens with a sensuous tone. After a short climax, the music becomes more intimate in the cadenza for the soloist. A slow coda ends the movement in a gentle and warm way.

The second movement is divided in three sections. It opens with a jazz-like main theme, virtuously exposed by the soloist, which is developed in a series of dialogues between saxophone and orchestra. The music gradually grows more intense, reaching a powerful and dissonant climax. Then a delicate waltz theme is introduced on woodwinds supported by harp and piano. It is developed in a more playful section between the soloist and the orchestra, resembling jazz music. After a dissonant climax, the soloist performs a brief but astringent cadenza that greatly contrasts with the lyrical tone of most of the piece. But the lyrism returns raising the music into a broad, beautiful climax. The work then ends with the music fading away in the silence.

Musical analysis written by myself. Source: https://tinyurl.com/36tosrjz

Unfortunately, the score is not available