Saxophonist
Marcus Weiss has accomplished the near impossible with these six 20th century works. That he has interconnected pieces written expressly for the saxophone isn't so strange, but that he has found all the composers who wrote for the saxophone who are connected in one way or another --and perhaps in two or three ways to one another through the character of
Stefan Wolpe, who is represented by two works here. First there is the wonderfully elegiac "Inner Song" by
Elliott Carter, dedicated to his friend
Wolpe. Written for soprano saxophone, its spare bird-like tones and short lines were transcribed by
Weiss for this recording. This is followed by one of
Wolpe's most interesting works, which appeared on Hat 6182, the two-movement "Quartet for Trumpet, Saxophone, Piano and Percussion," from 1950-1954. Here, the influence of jazz on
Wolpe's later work is most evident, not merely in tonality, but in phrasing and texture, and the free play of the vibraphone and tenor saxophone. There is a lilting, languid type of swing inherent that stems from
Wolpe's original exposure to the music in Germany in the '20s and later in the United States in early-'50s New York. This is the piece reported to have been the inspiration for Günter Schuler's attempts at fusing classical music and jazz called "Third Stream Music." Another
Wolpe elegy appears next in the form of
John Cage's "5," written for two saxophonists and three percussionists.
Cage met
Wolpe at Black Mountain College where
Wolpe taught for many years before relocating to New York City. "5" is typically one of
Cage's indeterminate pieces, where the score only indicates the duration and dynamic of notes to be played. There are specific pitches but they can be played for any duration within the prescribed range. With
Anton Webern's "Quartet" for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone, and piano, we find more of the influence of the jazz tradition on 20th century serialism and a deeper connection to
Wolpe, who studied under him in the 1930s.
Webern's piece, though brief, showcases the saxophone as the most expressive instrument in the ensemble because of its rich tonal and timbral range. With Schöenberg's Canons -- cannily arranged for three saxophones by
Weiss -- we extend the
Wolpe connection as the two met once or twice in California, and
Cage studied under him as well. These canons borrow richly for medieval polyphony, and are not normally associated with the saxophone -- in this case the soprano. They are also not a readily considered part of Schöenberg's canon. Composed between 1926 and 1934, they highlight the textural palette of the straight horn and its ability to move fluently from one register to another with minimal effort from the performer, carrying pitches through one another almost microphonically.
Wolpe's own "Conquest of Melody" would require a book-length essay so wide and deep as its modal and intervallic range. Rhythm, pitch, meter, and dynamic are considered only in secondary terms to counterpoint. Subtitled "Music for Any Instruments - Interval Studies," pitch becomes an element of drama without any more or less importance than anything else. Arranged for viola, violin, and saxophones,
Weiss had transcribed the piece to lock intervals into one another, making them inseparable as contrapuntal harmonic considerations flow from one instrument into the other and then are restated without accents in the following measure by another. The disc closes with
Cage's "Four," written late in his life in 1991. There are no directions given other than a small number of notes accorded as pitches and the fact that they can be played in any order with no time constraints other than the piece must be under 12 minutes and the individual instrumentalists must be responsible for the work's dynamic scope. As in all of
Cage's later pieces, the work is beautifully executed by
Weiss because he understands only in anarchy can order emerge naturally and flexibly.
Weiss has woven the threads of
Stefan Wolpe's musical contribution through two previous generations to his own and left the ends loose, awaiting another composer who may add to the fabric. His performances are inspired, his arrangements and transpositions are done without excess or unnecessary drama, and his execution is flawless. This is a handy, necessary collection with authoritative readings of some of the last century's greatest works.