[FINISHED] Saxophone Quartet No.3

Hello everybody,

You may have already seen the two other topics about this quartet. One is about the sketch, which I had to make for the selection rounds of the composition competition. The other one was about how to create a climax and how to continue and finish the piece.
Finally, I have finished the piece and to be honest I hate it. I have heard it so many times and it was terribly hard to finish the piece and include a climax. 
@Luis Hernández I hope that there are more vertical lines and there is a clear climax.

The piece is about Europides' Medea. More information in the PDF attached to this post. The notes on page still have to be changed.
There are a few themes and motives exposed in the beginning and during the piece I develop them in many ways. I have, for example, included a Fugato structure, where the theme is a based on a motive in the beginning.

I am very sorry that the instruments sound so fake. . . If anybody knows a decent soundfont for saxophone (quartet), please let me know!

Thanks for listening! Feedback and comments would be very nice!

Maarten

job well done!

26 minutes ago, maestrowick said:

job well done!

 

Thanks!

Wow, I like it so much.

Part B is a great contrast to A. Much more independent lines and counterpoint than in the sketch (nice Part D).

In all, I think it's coherent, I mean it has unity as a piece, and that's important. The feeling is beautiful and contemporary. Dynamic contrasts are very good and makes it interesting.

I have a doubt perhaps more experienced people can tell us.... When  there are 4 players...., rubato can be a trouble?

I will sound great in live performance!

26 minutes ago, Luis Hernández said:

Wow, I like it so much.

Part B is a great contrast to A. Much more independent lines and counterpoint than in the sketch (nice Part D).

In all, I think it's coherent, I mean it has unity as a piece, and that's important. The feeling is beautiful and contemporary. Dynamic contrasts are very good and makes it interesting.

I have a doubt perhaps more experienced people can tell us.... When  there are 4 players...., rubato can be a trouble?

I will sound great in live performance!

 

Thank you! It feels so good when someone really likes your work!

About the rubato, the players selves even proposed the rubato and we tried it in the reading session. It sounded way more free and interesting.

Great. About the rubato...

This is one thing I was taught about contemporary composition: if you can check with the player, better. There are many resources and extended techniques that some players can do and others don't.

Well, I'm fonder of contemporary music than of "classic" one (although I love it , too).

1 hour ago, Luis Hernández said:

Great. About the rubato...

This is one thing I was taught about contemporary composition: if you can check with the player, better. There are many resources and extended techniques that some players can do and others don't.

Well, I'm fonder of contemporary music than of "classic" one (although I love it , too).

 

I completely agree!

The possibilities of the more advanced techniques like overtones, altissimo, multiphonics etc. vary per player. It great to have a reading session where you meet the players of you music.

Hi Maarten. It sounds like a very interesting modern piece for saxophone quartet. I think the music fits the ensemble very well. And it is great that the quartet members are collaborating with you! I look forward to hearing the live performance. Congratulations.

30 minutes ago, luderart said:

Hi Maarten. It sounds like a very interesting modern piece for saxophone quartet. I think the music fits the ensemble very well. And it is great that the quartet members are collaborating with you! I look forward to hearing the live performance. Congratulations.

 

Hi Vahan,

Thank you! It always helps to play the instrument(s) you are writing for! 

The premiere will be on the 20th of August 2017 in Amsterdam and I will do my best to get it recorded with high quality for you and of course for myself too!

Hello @Monarcheon

Since you were very enthousiastic about the sketch and you gave me useful feedback on the sketch, I would really appreciate your opinion about the whole piece.

Maarten

21 hours ago, Maarten Bauer said:

Yesterday (10th of September 2017), I attended the second performance of my Saxophone Quartet No.3 ''MEDEA'' played by the Keuris Quartet during the Gaudeamus Muziek in TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, NL. 
Downright amazing!
I am terribly grateful for this great project with the quartet! An unforgettable experience! 
Together with my composition, some beautiful other new works by Anthony Green, Hinse Mutter, Jiae Lee, Stanislav Makovsky and Georg Friedrich Haas were also played.

The recording is NOT to be shared!

What do you think about the music?

Congratulations Maarten! The music is great. And the performance does it justice! It must have been great to hear it performed live!

Wow, it's amazing. You should be proud.

Played live makes it incredibly beautiful. This quartet know how to do it in the style, it seems to me.

Congrats! 

3 hours ago, luderart said:

Congratulations Maarten! The music is great. And the performance does it justice! It must have been great to hear it performed live!

 

It was so exciting to hear it! To be honest, I was pretty nervous, because I did not want to hear mistakes, whoops. The premiere was in an old house in Amsterdam and I found the acoustics much more suited for my piece. It turns out that the hall in the Vredeburg was a Jazz hall for electronic music. Acoustic music sounds too plain in my opinion.

Nevertheless, I am very happy!

43 minutes ago, Luis Hernández said:

Wow, it's amazing. You should be proud.

Played live makes it incredibly beautiful. This quartet know how to do it in the style, it seems to me.

Congrats! 

 

The Keuris Quartet is one of the best (known) saxophone quartets in the world. They won many international rewards and they are of the highest level one can have. Their speciality is contemporary music, so you have heard that correctly!