What If

for solo alto saxophone and large saxophone ensemble (2014)

with electro-acoustic music and percussion (optional)

Commissioned for SaxOpen - XVII World Saxophone Congress & Festival - Strasbourg 2015

(duration ca. 12 minutes)

performance notes:

What If was composed for and premiered in July 2014 by an ensemble of 101 young saxophonist (12 soprano, 12 alto 1, 12 alto 2, 12 alto 3, 12 alto 4, 12 alto 5, 12 tenor, 16 baritone, and 1 alto soloist. However, it is scored for 8 ensemble parts (with some divisi in the baritone sax part and one short, uncritical divisi in the tenor sax part — see above). So it’s possible to mount a performance with a as few as 1o saxophonists (a minimum ensemble of 9, plus the alto saxophone soloist). But obviously, more is better. All of the ensemble parts were composed for young amateurs, with strict limitations on range and speed (tempo for the above passage is only quarter-note = 80). The alto saxophone solo part was composed for a young prize-winning soloist, so it requires a more advanced player.

Links to perusal study score: WhatIf_FullScore_8.5x11.pdf

(21 pages; formatted for 8.5 x 11 page size)

Links to perusal study score: WhatIf_FullScore_11x17

(21 pages; formatted for 11 x 17 page size)

 

Link to premiere recording by Eurosax100; Ryo Nakajima, soloist; Joseph Lallo, conductor

Click on “contact” below to inquire about parts