While some saxophonists bring a hard edge or an aggressive style to their playing, Gary Louie has long cultivated an elegant and light tone, and this serves him well in the refined and often lyrical works for alto saxophone he presents on this 2008 release on Kleos Classics. The Concerto in E flat major by Alexander Glazunov has many long-breathed lines, and Louie's sustained breath control and legato playing are perfectly matched to the lush and polished strings of the
St. Petersburg State Academic Orchestra, conducted by
Vladimir Lande. This approach also suits the slowly evolving shapes of Frank Martin's Ballade for alto saxophone and orchestra, for the solo instrument emerges from the shadowy beginning as the focus of melodic interest, and Louie carries the line forward and maintains its intensity and concentration, almost singlehandedly against the orchestra's chordal textures. The shorter pieces, Vocalise by
Sergey Rachmaninov and Robert Schumann's Träumerei, are sweetly rendered, and Louie allows the richness of his tone to radiate in these warm filler tracks. The true showpiece of this album is Louie's brilliant arrangement of the Carmen Fantasy on themes by Georges Bizet orchestrated by Alan Baylock. Here Louie's tone becomes a bit more incisive and penetrating, as might be expected in a work where the solo part has to vividly stand out against a full orchestra, rather like the violin part of Pablo de Sarasate's original. Yet the character of Louie's playing remains suave and his technique seems effortless as he displays his virtuosity with a delicate touch and not a little humor. The reproduction puts Louie front and center, though the orchestra seems a bit recessed, especially when only the complement of strings is playing.