Concerto for Soprillo Saxophone
Solo Soprillo Saxophone and Orchestra
(Level: Advanced)
The soprillo saxophone is the newest member of the saxophone family--and the highest in pitch. It sounds an octave higher than the soprano saxophone and, as you may expect, is rather a difficult instrument to master. I first came in contact with the instrument at the 2009 World Saxophone Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, where the National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain was performing works that included the little devil in their instrumentation. I found Eppelsheim's booth on the exhibition floor and tried one out. We'll just say that I was really bad at it and leave it at that.
I was, however, really excited about the saxophone. So when I ran into Nigel Wood, who is Britain's authority on the instrument, I sort of blurted out that I wanted to write a concerto for the instrument. I went home with grand intentions, but since I was in the middle of my MMus at the University of Central Arkansas, I didn't have the time to really sit down and compose.
Fast forward to 2017, and my move back to the UK. After waiting twelve excruciatingly long weeks for my computer to show up in the post, I was ready to get to work and had a bevy of ideas and sketches for the concerto. I sat down and got to work and a little over a week and a half later I had this concerto.
My Concerto for Soprillo Saxophone and Orchestra is dedicated to Nigel Wood, who has just received an out-of-the-blue email from a long-forgotten composer who finally, eight years down the road, made good on his promise.
