Classical Saxophone Essentials

In other musical contexts, the saxophone is associated with soul, grit, and sleaze, but put one in an orchestra and it becomes a more lyrical instrument—as expressive as a clarinet, but less introverted. It's still a very cocksure and worldly-wise voice, even when placed against the airy beauty of a full orchestra, but it is capable of many surprising tonal shifts. Some of the pieces in this collection surge from studied melancholy to brassy glee, some take daring swoops into sudden fanfares, but the most affecting are the leaps from utter desolation to unexpectedly swooning romance.