4 saxophones, one violin and a standing ovation

Music / Signum Saxophone Quartet and  Kristian Winther. At Llewelyn Corridor, November 17. Reviewed by DANTE COSTA.

IT’S not day by day that you simply see 4 saxophones and a violin in a live performance corridor collectively!

As a part of their Musica Viva Australia debut, the Signum Quartet joined forces with native violinist Kristian Winther in a program that displayed the total potential of the saxophone.

From the contrapuntal echoes of Bach to the jazzy works of Gershwin and Corea, the 5 musicians dazzled the viewers.

The sax quartet, consisting of Blaž Kemperle on soprano; Jacopo Taddei (stepping in for Hayrapet Arakelyan), alto; Alan Lužar, tenor and Guerino Bellarosa, baritone, met in Cologne and fashioned the ensemble in 2006. Since then, they’ve loved a profitable profession in Europe, having not too long ago been awarded the title of Greatest Ensemble on the Mecklenburg-Vorpommen Pageant in Germany.

Becoming a member of them was acclaimed violinist Kristian Winther, who has loved a profitable profession as a passionate chamber musician and soloist.

Opening with a tasteful interpretation of Bach’s “Italian Concerto”, BWV 971, the musicians of the Signum Quartet kicked the live performance off with flare and pleasure. Every voice was extremely nicely balanced because the 4 saxophonists engaged in a deep dialog of counterpoint. Their bodily second displayed a classy understanding of the piece and the way the totally different voices interacted with each other. Their sound was nicely rounded, harmonious and cohesive, appeared as in the event that they had been working a single instrument. It was chic.

Becoming a member of the quartet on stage, Winther blazed via an exciting efficiency Weill’s “Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra”, organized for the ensemble by achieved Australian composer, Jessica Wells.

Initially, I used to be a bit reticent on the mixture of instrumentation, nonetheless Winther’s wealthy tone coupled with the marvellous sonorities of the quartet complemented one another marvellously. Winther described the piece as “not taking any prisoners with its musical language”. They did nicely to uphold the modernist aesthetic of the music and, regardless of what seemed to be a minor subject with a string, nothing phased Winther who weaved his method round virtuosic passes with nice aptitude and talent.

Following an interval, the quartet carried out a enjoyable and entertaining rendition of Gershwin’s “Three Preludes”. Though initially composed for piano, the musicians managed to ship the piece with an genuine playful, jazzy character.

Chosen actions from Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances from West Aspect Story” had been then carried out with related playful humorous gestures that noticed some heads bopping and toes tapping within the viewers. Concluding with an imaginative interpretation of Chick Corea’s “Spain” and encore items, the performers had been greeted with a rapturous applause and standing ovation.