Sonata for alto saxophone and piano
(2002)
duration: 21’
GRT • 086
CD available
Mercurial
Barry Cockcroft (alto saxophone), Adam Pinto
(piano)
Reed
Music
audio sample
1: expansive
score
available from
Reed Music
program note
This Sonata was
composed in fulfillment of the 2001 Albert H Maggs
Composition Award. It was written specifically for Barry
Cockcroft and Adam Pinto to premiere at a concert featuring
my saxophone music of the last decade (Greenbaum:
Retrospective).
review
"This CD, devoted
entirely to the music of Stuart Greenbaum is a treat for
lovers of Australian classical music. There are two
sonatas, for saxophone and for violin, solo pieces for
violin, saxophone, and piano and two sets of songs. The
effect is direct, warm and affectionate all at once.
Cockcroft’s sound blends delicately with the piano in the
Sonata, bringing out the popular music influences that lie
throughout Greenbaum’s CD. The three contrasting movements
demonstrate great virtuosity on the part of Cockcroft and
his collaborator, Adam Pinto. It is a performance that will
be of interest to any saxophonists wanting to perform this
difficult but rewarding piece.
The opening movement is based around a
constantly changing meter alternating groups of two and
three quavers, developing into a very strong set of
memorable themes, ending with an altissimo version of the
theme that is ethereal and haunting. The second movement is
dogged in its slow forward movement. The simple theme
becoming gradually more ornate as the movement unfolds. The
climax unfolds in a cascade of scales that brings the piece
to its emotional high point. The third movement,
marked Mercurial, the title of the CD, is made of additive
rhythms, as in the first movement, but faster. The
judicious use of altissimo to bring the piece to an
exciting finale is well negotiated by Cockcroft, who is
surely one of Australia’s finest exponents of classical
saxophone playing. I highly recommend this CD.”
James Nightingale, Australian Clarinet & Saxophone
Vol 8-4, December 2005