Ibert, Jacques – Concertino da Camera
This stalwart of the classical saxophone repertoire has beguiled saxophonists for decades and remains a popular if somewhat foreboding choice for today’s players. Written in 1935 for the renowned Sigurd Rascher, the Concertino da Camera is one of the most often recorded and performed works of the saxophone canon. The deceptively violent opening bars are promptly interrupted by the blithe saxophone melody, which continues on its predominantly jovial voyage, the only significant interruption coming at the bleak genesis of the second movement. Having dispelled the haunting melancholy, the piece closes in much the same mood as it began, but still finds space for an expansive cadenza before the conclusion.