I was privileged to play baritone saxophone in a performance at the 2017 Tête À Tête Festival of Sebastiano Dessanay's opera 'The Cry of the Double Bass'. We performed the last act of the opera in a new arrangement at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London. It was one of those experiences which I've only had a number of times where the full impact and power of the work only really dawned upon me as I was performing it. Fantastic ideas and really interesting content, particularly the opening narration. Hope to perform the whole opera at some point in the future.
It is with regret that I note the passing of composer American David Maslanka who died earlier this month. My saxophone quartet Syzygy, performed and recorded his work 'Songs for the Coming Day' in the last few years. The work was in fact our debut recording as a quartet, so we felt a special connection to the piece. We exchanged emails with Maslanka with regard to interpretation which was very helpful, he clearly took a great interest in ensembles performing his work, and we are grateful for the small opportunity we had to correspond with him. In performance, we've found 'Songs for the Coming Day' never failed to move audience and performer alike, so the content of this piece will feel all the more poignant the next time we perform it.
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June 2022
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