Ballades for Saxophone and Orchestra

Tomasi: Ballade for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
Frank Martin: Ballade for Saxophone and Orchestra
Ravel: Pièce en forme de habañera for Sax and Orchestra
Piazzolla: Tango Suite (arr. Kerkezos)
Dimitris Dragatakis: Ballade for Saxophone and Strings
Pedro Iturralde: Czárdás for Saxophone and Orchestra

The major works here are, of course, the Tomasi, Martin and Piazzolla pieces. The others, relatively speaking, are over in a flash. The Ballade by Dragatakis (1914-2001), originally for violin and piano, was recast by the composer for Kerkezos. It is a slow, lyrical outpouring, romantic in effect. The Czárdás by Iturralde (b. 1929) is a catchy combination of jazzy harmonies and the classic czárdás form, with its 'lassu' and 'friss' sections. The lassu has a haunting melody. Both these pieces are world première recordings. The Ravel Habañera (arranged by Arthur Hoérée) is by far the best-known piece here and it seduces in its melodic and sultry three minutes.

The 15-minute Ballade by Henri Tomasi (1901-1971) is a three-movement delight. The Andantino has a lovely lyrical impulse and is followed by a jolly Gigue. The third movement, surprisingly, is a soulful Blues. The piece has a subtext, a poem by the composer's wife about a melancholy clown. Tomasi's style is a kind of French impressionism that also sounds a bit like Milhaud in his lighter vein.

Frank Martin (1890-1974), a Swiss composer whose 15-minute-long Ballade was written in 1938 for the doyen of European classical saxophonists, Sigurd Rascher, wrote in a Rousselian impressionist style, always a bit astringent, always utterly clear in form, and this piece does not vary from that assessment. This is the most dramatic of the pieces presented here, sometimes rising to an anguished outpouring by the soloist. Very effective.

The big surprise for me here is the 22-minute 'Tango Suite' by Astor Piazzolla (arranged by Kerkezos) cast in seven continuous movements. I have been a bit of a holdout regarding the music of Astor Piazzolla; for some reason, the music of his that I'd heard didn't especially grab me. But this suite is really quite nice. It starts with a throbbing Preludio that leads directly into an expert (and perky) Fugue that has the saxophone playing lickety-split. Kerkezos shines here, as does the London Philharmonic under Robert Minczuk (a rising young Brazilian conductor currently associate conductor of the New York Philharmonic). 'Misterio' is a haunting and melancholy song followed by yet another contrapuntal (and up-tempo) tango, 'Fugata,' which has the saxophone playing a delirious chromatic subject taken up by the strings in imitation, all in tango rhythm. 'Oblivión,' taken from Piazzolla's sound-track for the movie, 'Henry IV,' is the most seductive tango here, with the sax in the spotlight, cushioned by silky strings. 'Adios Nonino,' written in memory of the composer's father, is, at seven minutes, the longest section. It is a miniature tone poem that limns the heavy tread of the approach of death followed by a serene and moving lullaby. The suite closes with a jazzy adaptation of the well-known tango, 'Libertango.' I am aware that I write of this music knowing almost nothing of Piazzolla's work, and cannot vouch that I got it right, but I do know that I was very impressed by this suite.For someone who has resisted the blandishments of the tango, I had certainly melted by the conclusion of this music.

The verdict: Grab it!

TT=66:13

Scott Morrison