Piano Reduction including solo part. Par DENISOV EDISON. The catalogue of Edison Denisov's works includes 16 concertos. It was a genre to which he returned time and again throughout his life, from the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra of 1972 to the Double Concerto for Flute, Clarinet and Orchestra of 1996. In Denisov's music the role of the soloist, or rather the protagonist, is extraordinarily important, not so much for its virtuosity as for its confessional character. The solo part is a monologue distinguished by poetic diction and a very personal message from the composer. The dramaturgical conception of the Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra, a reworking of the Viola Concerto of 1986, draws on traditional sonata form, thereby reaffirming the ubiquitous classicism in Denisov's thought. In this late work, we find all the typical features of his style: sinuous melodic lines layered into dense contrapuntal textures, and an interplay of orchestral colours, with pure sonorities contrasting with complex mixtures of sounds. It is a perfect dramaturgy that governs the evolution of the music to the very end. The first movement assumes the role of a sonata-allegro, with the standard formal sections of exposition, development, recapitulation and coda. The second movement is an Adagio for strings. The third takes the form of a little contrasting intermezzo that introduces both new thematic material and a new range of colours. Here tunefulness gives way to pointillism enriched with sonic effects. The only movement with a virtuosic solo part, its nervousness and inner tension set it worlds apart from the second and fourth movements that surround it. The fourth movement assumes the traditional form of a final set of variations. It is the dramaturgical and semantic heart of the concerto. The theme of the variations is Franz Schubert's Impromptu in B-flat major, op. 142, which in this case is 'born' from the celesta as the product of a dodecaphonic string cluster. This finale represents Denisov's homage to his great mentor, Schubert's music being for him a symbol of eternal and universal beauty. 'The attentive listener', Denisov stressed, 'will recognise that the Impromptu theme is already suggested very slowly in the course of the three preceding movements, not only thematically, but also psychologically. That's what makes the appearance of the Schubert theme sound so natural.' The variations relate to the variation genre less in their form than in their spiritual and conceptual metamorphoses. It is, one might say, 'music round about Schubert'. (Ekaterina Kouprovskaia-Denisova)/ Répertoire / Saxophone Alto et Piano

Concertino Da Camera written in 1935 by Jacques Ibert (1890-1962) was a small concerto for alto-saxophone and eleven instruments: Flute Bassoon Oboe Horn Trumpet and Strings. This score is for Alto Saxophone and Piano. This Concertino is in two movements Allegro con moto and Larghetto – Animato Molto is dedicated to the saxophonist Sigurd Rascher and is standing out for its large use of the Alto-Saxophone. It can be technically challenging and has a strong lyrical part. Its author Jacques Ibert (1890-1962) is a neoclassical composer who won the Prix de Rome in 1919. He composed manysymphonic suites operas and seven orchestras including Angelique (1926) and Divertissement (1930). He was also in charge of the Accadémie de France in the Villa Médicis (Roma) and was later administrator for the Paris Opera. This concerto has some similarities with his Flute Concerto (1934) also published by Alphonse Leduc.

Starting with the Piano on a slow section “Andantino Cantabile” (3/4 - tempo 88) the piece then accelerates in the “Allegretto Scherzando” (6/3 – tempo 120) goes back to a slower part and finishes a fast section of notes. A variation of a small section of the main score is also proposed to the player. Difficulties highlighted in the piece are the fast rhythms and the resulting endurance necessary to play them. The piece includes some trills some staccatos and some accidentals that upper-intermediate players should be able to overcome. Denis Joly (1906-1979) is a French organist and composer. He wrotearound 40 pieces of chamber music for Piano solo Piano and strings Piano and woodwind Piano and brass and solo Organ.