Troubled Waters – music for saxophone quartet

Price range: £8.99 through £14.99

Label:
Catalogue No: MSV 28578
EAN/UPC: 809730857829
Artists:
Composers: ,
Release Date: November 2020
Genres: ,
Periods:
Discs: 1
Total Playing Time: 73:16

Works by two composers working at the University of Manchester in England: one American (Kevin Malone) and one British (Richard Whalley). These new works are all based on folk music: spirituals, protest songs, work ballads. They all reflect the instability of our current world and political systems, expressing concern about climate change, gun control (and the lack of), the neglect of the oppressed and the wilful deafness of ‘leaders’ to the real needs of the planet and its people. It’s not a ‘political’ album in any sense of partisanship but a reflection on how real progress can be destroyed by the power-brokers. Kevin Malone studied with Morton Feldman among others and is a lecturer in composition at the University of Manchester. Richard Whalley is Senior Lecturer in Composition at the university having studied at first at York with Nicola LeFanu and then at Harvard with Joshua Fineberg,

Ebonit Saxophone Quartet, founded in the Netherlands in 2011, is a sparkling and lively ensemble featuring musicians from Poland, the Netherlands and Spain. The group has won many prizes and is developing a reputation for exciting and brilliant performances. The Ebonit Quartet appears frequently on the popular Netherlands YouTube Channel VPRO VG which features 115k subscribers.

Track Listing

    Kevin Malone (b.1958):
  1. When the World's on Fire (4:20)
  2. The Water Protectors (18:02)
  3. The Housatonic near Sandy Hook (15:50)
  4. Richard Whalley (b.1974):
  5. When the World's on Fire (3:52)
  6. Iapetus Suture (17:53)
  7. Refugees Welcome ♥ (12:38)

Reviews

Fanfare

Each work has a subtle profundity that will reward repeated hearings, and the Ebonit Saxophone Quartet is a top-flight Dutch ensemble whose artistry and technical prowess will impress saxophone enthusiasts and others. On such grounds, it is easy and expedient to give this disc a hearty recommendation.

” —David deBoor Canfield
Clarinet and Saxophone

I would highly recommend this CD. The music makes an important point; an intriguing blend of complex melodies and harmonies performed exquisitely by the Ebonit Saxophone Quartet. The quartet has an excellent blend as well as impressive individual sounds, and all of the players demonstrate fantastic technique.

” —Alastair Penman
The Chronicle Review Corner

Ebonit Saxophone Quartet are superb. And a classical green protest album has got to be worth giving a go. Certainly an album for sax fans but also for people who like their music thoughtful.

” —Jeremy Condliffe