Bird Spirit Dreaming (Australian music for soprano saxophone and piano)
HD Duo - (Michael Duke – saxophones and David Howie – piano)
DaVinci Classics C00813
The enduring genius of prodigious inventor Adolph Sax was not just the creation of one saxophone, but that of a family of 14 different sizes of the instrument. The four that have lasted the test of time being the soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. That said, the lion’s share of limelight has fallen to the alto and tenor as they have become the go-to instruments of choice for chamber music, orchestral writing and of course jazz, rock and popular styles of music.
This recording shines a light on Australian compositions for the soprano saxophone, combined with piano and at times joined by cello, violin and percussion. Some works are adaptations of music originally for oboe made by the composers themselves (Edwards, Hindson, Broadstock), and all recordings are premieres, of which two were commissioned specifically for this project.