Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano

Description

The Sonata for alto saxophone and piano was written in 2011, a transcription of the Sonata for bassoon and piano (Op.36) Lasting about 13 minutes, it has three movements: Allegro Moderato – Larghetto – Allegretto con spirito. The first movement is free-ranging tonally, continually developing the initial saxophone material – a neo-Baroque motif with prominent use of a minor seventh interval. The time signature is continually changing, predominantly between 2/4 and 3/8, to give a highly-charged rhythmic, and perhaps unsettled, effect. The central movement is expressive, melancholy and desolate. The rhythm is more regular here – largely a steady 6/8 flow, but harmonically, the highly chromatic style is almost atonal to enhance this forlorn atmosphere. The movement explores the entire range of the saxophone and the piano accompaniment converses contrapuntally, sharing the numerous motifs with the saxophone. It concludes plaintively with reiterations of the saxophone’s initial four notes. The finale reverts to a more relaxed, and uplifting, mood. The saxophone’s initial scalic motif also has a neo-Baroque flavour. This originates from a solitary piano figure (bar 202) in the first movement. In fact, these outer movements have numerous melodic and harmonic links to consolidate a sense of overall organic shape. Ultimately, the whole movement derives from its first few bars, and constantly develops this material.
The work received its first performance on 5 November 2012 at the Hellenic American Union Theatre in Athens by Theofilos Sotiriadis (saxophone)and Angelika Papanicolaou (piano). The concert was organised by Nikos Panagiotakis of the Greek Composer’s Union in co-operation with the Hellenic American Union, the Hellenic American Education Center and the Music Praxis University.