Nightlife
Ensemble
B-flat Soprano Saxophone (or B-flat Tenor Saxophone) and Piano
Duration
Approx. 5 minutes
Recording
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Score
Notes
It seems like every composer has written a nocturne, as nighttime means something different to everyone. Nightlife is my take on a nocturne for soprano saxophone and piano.
I grew up in Las Vegas, so close to the strip that I could see the neon lights from my bedroom window. From afar, a large city is quiet; lights sparkle, and skyscrapers jut into the sky, creating a jagged landscape of illuminated steel.
The piece's first half captures this majesty through pandiatonic harmonies and planing Major 7th chords, creating a captivating and trance-like harmonic palette, complete with rhapsodic passages characteristic of the nocturne genre. As we get closer to the vibrant city, we hear it come to life - cars rushing down city streets and music thumping around us. The atmosphere created by the piano devolves into a complex ostinato, which drives the lyrical saxophone melodies to a breathless climax.
World Premiere
March 9, 2011 at the University of Oregon by Lauren Wagner and Svetlana Kotova
Dedicated to
Lauren Wagner
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