Description
When Adolphe Sax first began to develop the saxophone family in 1840, he visualised an instrument that combined the power of the brass with the flexibility of the strings and the timbre of the woodwind.
Today the saxophone is usually associated with jazz, although it was first intended for use in classical music. Apart from a few starring solos in symphonic repertoire, including Ravel’s Bolero and his orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, the saxophone found no permanent place in the symphony orchestra.
The development of the repertoire for the saxophone as a solo instrument and in chamber music was stimulated by the virtuoso playing of the French pioneer saxophonist Marcel Mule.
The composers Eugene Bozza, Fernande Decruck and Paule Maurice all wrote for him and created works that would later become cornerstones of the classical symphonic repertoire. Elisa Hall, a wealthy amateur saxophonist, also encouraged composers to write for the instrument during the first years of the 20th century; her many commissions included one to Debussy for a work for saxophone and orchestra, the
result of which was his Rhapsody for alto saxophone and orchestra.
For her debut CD for the Etcetera label, saxophonist Femke Steketee says:
"La fille et le saxophone contains a selection of the works for saxophone and piano that I love the most. Time and again I am inspired not only by [pianist[ Tobias Borsboom's subtle playing — and pianists fear the saxophone
repertoire — but also by his poetic and colourful interpretations."