Classical and Modern Music
Format: CD
Code: 112355
EAN: 3838898112355
In its ten-year-old existence, the 4-saxess ensemble has profiled into the distinguished chamber ensemble in the Slovenian music circle, including numerous successful performances on stages of neighbouring countries like Croatia, Italy, Austria and France.
The diversity of education of the quartet members, who graduated from the Musical Academies in Ljubljana, Zagreb and Frankfurt and additionally continued their studies in Paris, Bordeaux and Boston, has given the ensemble wideness of musical views and richness of expression.
Furthermore, this diversity itself causes mutual interpersonal subtle tuning of artists in order to produce the unique musical expression. This challenge was repeatedly accepted by the 4saxess quartet.
The outcomes of their mutual sound exploration are various successful guest appearances on the classical and modern music festivals where they perform both the works of prominent Slovenian and Croatian composers as well their own artistic reinterpretations of Mozart, Bach and Debussy music.
I. Lunder, A. Solovera, N. Šenk, V. Pupis, V. Lisjak have also dedicated parts of their work to the quartet, some of which can be found on 2 editions, the debut "4folk" and "4US", which is being presented here.
The idea for the latest recording, as well as for its predecessor, originates from the period of time when the quartet was giving their guest performance in Paris, on the very journey, where new ides appear in the process of intensive interfusion of musical experiences. These ideas almost always find their way towards the final realisation owing to their own immense power.
»Journeys often have the effect on the ideas and act as the catalyst. Our musical journey throughout the Northern America suggests human desire for trevelling towards the distant continent together with the closeness of music itself as well, music which became a part of common cultural history during the last century.« (4saxess)
In the world of music, there are known cases of some style development being in symbiosis with particular instrument in which the music of the style finds the perfect medium for its emanation. Thus, when we think about the baroque in music, dependable on different parts of Europe it was coming from, we actually consider organ, harpsichord, or violin music. Additionally, the vocal part can be found almost anywhere in it. Accordingly, the accompanying part of the
popular music development in the 20th century is associated with the appearance of great names connected to electric guitar or saxophone.
In the recent history, beside close connection of particular timbre with musical discourse, we witnessed much balder bridging of the gap as well as the affirmation of instruments in domains for which they had not been originally considered.
Saxophone, the 19th century instrument, being the product of time since when we have started measuring the accelerated modern development, carries in itself numerous discovered and undiscovered qualities, as well as the very contradictory ones. Popularly accessible and irascibly avant-garde, tempting and scandalous, vulgar and ethereal, so much alike our present, modern times full of discrepancies, saxophone has become
the symbol of this modern, juvenile, restless spirit. Its development started in the Parisian parlours, where it gained its affirmation owing to Adolphe Sax, its inventor.
In fact, Berlioz's panegyric to the sound of saxophone in “Journal des debats” from 1844, witnessed a true admiration for that instrument.
After several decades when it was silently abandoned by the world of music and transferred to the military music and cabaret groups, we were impressed with the seriousness in which it had been used by Anton von Webern in his "Quartet” Opus 22. We were also mellowed out with its sensual appearance in Ravel's “Bolero”.
Unfortunately, in the third decade of the last century, at the age of highly distinctive flourish of saxophone, severe suppression of it appeared in the cultural capital of Europe itself, Berlin. Approximately at the same time, another culture adopted it completely. As if it had sailed and arrived with slaves from Africa, saxophone rooted deeply and played one of the key roles in jazz and American popular music sound development. Furthermore, many innovators of such
music were the saxophone players.
Very soon after that, the composers of symphony music were using Adolphe Sax's instrument as a “ distinctive spice“ and important detail in portraying their rising culture.
Gershwin's usage of saxophone in his scores does not surprise us at all. It was not before long when some themes from the “Porgy and Bess” opera started their music life and were performed in jazz clubs. Thus it is logical and justifying the bold project of converting such musical texture into the medium of saxophone quartet.
The version that we have on this recording is the work of composer and arranger Sylvain Dedenon, who has reached for the original composer solutions and enabled Gershwin's music not to lose its vivacity by converting it into the piece for smaller number of performers, without any singers or stage performance.
The “Jasbo Brown” movement, started by “Allegro con brio” overture, is actually honky- tonk blues merging into a lullaby “Summertime”, a musical monument of the world heritage like Beethovenov's “Ode to Joy”. The “There's a Boat” movement is illuminated by unsymmetrical splashing of waves, whereas hymn responses in “It Ain't Necessarilly So” show a grotesque dialogue between Sporting Life and the choir.
Bernstein's "West Side Story", herewith arranged by Thomas Buritch, is the story about the conflict, ethical intolerance in the state of “ tolerance“ ("Jet Song"), ironic disengagement from abandoned, “ underdeveloped“ homeland of Puerto Rico ("America"), and “ justice for all“ - but just according to his own criteria ("Cool").
The words of the main female character Maria, “ This world is a terrible place to live because of you!“, addressed to the rivaled gangs provoke the consciousness of busy and egocentric modern person.
Even when Bernstein's story seems to be without any compromise, he gives us hope. ("Somewhere"). And this hope can be taken to many directions throughout this American story.
In "Porgy and Bess", Porgy hopes to find his Bess in big New York. Even though his actions present him as a naive person, we will judge them as bold and touching whereas his naiveness we will try to see as a virtue.
Definitely the naiveness, what John Adams is telling us about in his “Naive and Sentimental Music” at present, is a view of the world and attitude towards arts that gives us “foolish” bravery for expressing our own views on common, generally known and acclaimed facts in forms of the newest creations, without any fear of getting entrapped on the thin ice of imitation. Igor Lunder in his “Pre-jazz Trilogy” uses generally known forms of styles previous to jazz in order to
deliver his speech and demonstrate that his treatment of saxophone is utterly logical, level-headed but not without any risk. “Work Song & Spiritual” from the American south is interpreted with untempered accords of available instruments used outdoors, by humming, chanting and improvisation, “Ragtime” with syncopated, accented rhythm, while “Charleston” with repetitive rhythmical pattern containing turbulent melody and its loud culmination.
The author himself comments on some details:
“Priča”(pronounciated “pritcha” in Croatian) i.e. "The Tale" could also be the part of “Pre-jazz”, although written at the later time. "The Tale" was written in a harmonious way that is more characteristic for gospel, even though in some parts the harmony lines for be-bop would appear. The title itself is my own word-play, resembling Horace Silver's gospel-jazz standard "The Preacher".
The closing part of “Ragtime” is, with its symmetrically harmonious concept, the gift to John Coltraine, the great and leading figure of jazz saxophone, although the minor-third relations are used instead of major-third ones.
Two parts of the world heritage belonging to the American legacy have for the interplay the original work of the contemporary composer who has been using the forms of the previous times in order to show something new and original through them, i.e something modern. We use the stories of racial and class separation to show the hope for love and tolerance which is utmost needed in the present times.
We use the literature on the boundary of jazz, folklore and "serious" classical music in order to present the potential of saxophone, this modern instrument, as the adequate interpreter of any thinkable world and type of music. We have been primarily including in it those worlds and types which are just about to and are going to appear, thanks to our hope.
Tomislav Žužak
English translation: Krunoslav Korunčev and Ilda Bander
4-saxess ensemble
Soprano saxophone: Lev Pupis
Alto saxophone: Tomislav Žužak
Tenor saxophone: Primož Fleischman
Baritone saxophone: Dejan Prešiček
Compositions:
IGOR LUNDER
1. Work song 7: 22
GEORGE GERSHWIN Porgy and Bess
2. Jasbo brown 2: 44
3. Summertime 3: 52
4. There's a boat 3: 29
5. It ain't necessarily so 2: 37
6. Finale 4: 03
IGOR LUNDER
7. Ragtime 4: 11
8. Charleston 3: 49 (listen!)
LEONARD BERNSTEIN West side story
9. Jet song 2: 52
10. Mambo 2: 17
11. Cool 3: 22
12. Somewhere 3: 35
13. America 3: 21
IGOR LUNDER
14. Priča 4: 27
