Fanfare

July/August 1994

Drastic Measures

by Richard Burke

Not being a great fan of the saxophone, I should perhaps have returned this CD to the editor. I did, however, decide to listen to at least the first cut and was immediately struck by the playing of this quartet. They combine great technique and elegant musicianship with a wonderful sense of chamber music. They have also put together this CD with the same logic and thoughtfulness that is usually reserved for a concert or recital, always conscious of how each piece works within the context of the whole. The result is a perfectly balanced program that helps solve a problem basic to the medium: the homogeneity of sound that makes a group of saxophones blend so well can also make a listener a bit weary. But here styles change, and genres and centuries quickly make way for different ones. In addition, instead of relying entirely on arrangements, these performers have found some interesting music specifically written for four saxes, including an attractive nineteenth-century work by American Caryl Florio. In fact, the only problem here is that the quality of the music itself only occasionally rises above the merely interesting.

The best work on the CD is probably the quartet by Françaix, who, as those who know this composer’s work would expect, provides a charming, witty piece, filled with perfect, idiomatic writing for the saxophone. The four-movement quartet by Harald Genzmer is quite the opposite, a mostly serious work, with a few memorable ideas and some very effective writing in the slow movement. The two-part work by Russell Peck has a lovely opening movement but a second movement that mostly revolves around some fairly predictable jazz and blues imitations. The two arrangements of Mozart and Sweelinck work nicely, with the Mozart providing some interesting accompaniment figures for the baritone saxophone. But despite any quibbles about the individual pieces, this is an enjoyable release, nicely recorded and impressively performed.