Відео

@@elijahBD1 Thanks, yes just bit of transcription

Thank you so much @octothedog! So glad you enjoyed it. The studio recording comes out May 10 (this is the title track!)

Sort of… This movement was actually composed as a stand-alone work for Ondes Martinot in… I believe 1933? 35? Somewhere in there - long preceding the quartet. I went with the original title as the tone concept is a bit more fitting for alto ;)

@@ThomasAGiles Ah, that's right; I had forgotten about that. _Mea culpa..._

Thanks Josh! Really happy to get a piece from him :) he’s gonna write an hour-length piece next 👀🤞🏻

Thanks so much David, the score itself is also really beautiful. One of the more creative I’ve seen. It has the same kind of forest/floral graphics of the electronics. You should play it!

Thank you Vicente!! Hope you’ve been well and to cross paths again soon. 🙏

I have spent time with it! It is my favorite Stetson solo, incredible… but his vocal range definitely exceeds mine. Maybe someday ;)

@@ThomasAGiles yes it's my favorite too! I can definitely understand the struggle of trying to play a song like that as even he admits it's one of his most difficult ones.

Yes, yes, and yes… I have heard similar things. Truly one of my favorite composers of all time-so unfortunate he never wrote for our instrument. I’ve always found the absolute highest range easiest on alto. Somehow there’s more control with a bigger reed/mouthpiece. I can play with less tension than on a tiny soprano mpc and the sound is rounder, more resonant/operatic.

@@ThomasAGiles _Truly one of my favorite composers of all time_ Mine as well. I've been fortunate enough to hear _Turangalîla_ live three times; Simon Rattle conducting _Et exspecto_ in Boston (unforgettable); former Messiaen student Jon Gillock playing _Le livre du sacrement_ in New York's St. John the Divine, shortly after Messiaen's passing (beyond words); and great performances of _Visions de l'amen,_ the _Quatuor,_ etc. And, luckiest of all, I heard the Maître himself play mass at Sainte Trinité, about a year-and-a-half before he passed. _so unfortunate he never wrote for our instrument_ Indeed. I've always found it puzzling that, while the French were the first to embrace the saxophone as an instrument for classical/concert music, almost none of the top-tier French composers wrote for it - no Messiaen, no Poulenc (who clearly loved winds), no Ravel outside of orchestral settings, no Dutilleux... Re: top register on alto - That makes sense, for the same reason that harmonics are easier on a double bass than on a violin. Still, that sound you get - and *in tune* !!! With the right mouthpiece, I've been able to eke out a (written) top C, and even (rarely) a D-flat, but with a very thin and quiet tone. Fortunately, I've never been required to play anything higher than... F-sharp? Maybe G? On that subject, though - can you recommend a fingering for the second G#/A-flat? I've wanted to play the Eliasson _Poem_ for the longest time, but can't find a stable, reliable fingering.

@@rloomis3 some incredible experience-hearing him at mass, WOW. Did he improvise??? If I’m not mistaken, the Poem only has a G! Nevertheless, G# is a very squirrely note, but this works excellently for me: 2 | 5 tc C5

@@ThomasAGiles _Did he improvise???_ Yes. I actually stayed through the shorter, early mass, and the high mass. I think the church staff must have been accustomed to visitors coming to hear him: When I arrived, and heard the organ music already playing, I turned to the priest who was welcoming people at the entrance, pointed into the sanctuary, and said, _"Monsieur Messiaen?"_ He smiled and said, _"Oui,"_ and I was in heaven. _If I’m not mistaken, the Poem only has a G!_ I admit I don't have the score - was waiting to purchase it until I had a G# I could count on. Wouldn't that just beat all... Thanks for the fingering; I'll give it a try.

@@ThomasAGiles By the way, it occurs to me that Kelly et al. wouldn't be able to use that fingering, as they don't have a c5! ;-)

You are too kind :) Thank you so much for your support over the years! Btw, my new album Mysteries of the Macabre just came out today!!!

@@ThomasAGiles Thanks for the heads-up!