From the composer -- "A recitation book is a collection of writings, often of a sacred nature, used for readings by a community. The music of this piece draws on old sources for each movement – Bach Chorales, a Gesualdo madrigal, Gregorian Chant. A number of old variation techniques are employed throughout the piece."  This recording is from a live performance given at Indiana University on January 19th, 2015.

Recitation Book - V. Fanfare/Variations on "Durch Adams Fall" by David Maslanka

From the composer -- "I am often fascinated by sleep and dreams and, consequently, the incredibly weird and bizarre thoughts, ideas, experiences, and sounds that come out of this seemingly inactive and tranquil aspect of human existence... For this piece, I imagined a musical language that is a sort of synthesis of both the clarity and complete nonsense of this surreal language -- a kind of dialogue between the conscious self and the sleeping self." This recording is used with permission of Performance Today and was recorded in their studio in St. Paul, Minnesota.

"you've been talking in your sleep" by David Biedenbender

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the Italian Concerto for Clavier in 1735, nearly a hundred years before the invention of the saxophone. The arrangement was done by Katsuki Tochio/Kenari Quartet and you can see a video at https://youtu.be/VM0aBcHYmU8

Italian Concerto, BWV 971 - III. Presto by Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the Italian Concerto for Clavier in 1735, nearly a hundred years before the invention of the saxophone. The arrangement was done by Katsuki Tochio/Kenari Quartet, and it is a live performance from a recital given at Indiana University on January 19th, 2015.

Italian Concerto, BWV 971 - II. Andante by Johann Sebastian Bach

A wonderful addition to our ensemble's repertoire, by our very own Corey Dundee. This recording is used with permission of Performance Today and was recorded in their studio in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Shifting Gears by Corey Dundee

From the composer - "On December 2nd, 2014, my Dad lost his battle with cancer. In memoriam is a piece about the emotions that we all went through after he was diagnosed in 2014. Although the work flows attacca from one movement into the next, the piece is technically “divided” into two halves: “Threnody” and “Adieu.”

Threnody’s opening conveys anger, sadness, and confusion with a bold B-flat minor chord in an octave leap, a sigh motive, and a maelstrom of wild altered scales and jagged trills. Most of the movement’s material comes out these fierce opening bars. The movement is written in A-B-A’ form whose middle section features an acrobatic conflict between accented beats of three and four sixteenths. At the final return of the A, I modified the sigh motive by adding a bend between the two pitches to enhance its potency. The final return of the A comes to a climax and then floats into the ether (a sea of timbre trills), transitioning into the second movement.

Adieu (goodbye) is a celebration of life. My father’s last words to me, other than “I love you,” were “live the life you want to live and never look back,” and are reflected in the ethos of the movement. The piece emerges out of the ether, stating a simple rising melody slowly and in piecemeal. The first climax is quickly averted and the music is wrested back into the depths of the first movement with a dolorous bari solo over a texture dominated by trills. A sextuplet quasi-arpeggione gesture lifts the music out of the depths and begins a tumultuous journey that features another ‘duel,’ this time between melodic fragments from the first and second movements followed by a wailing bari solo that ushers in the opening material and the movement’s final climax."

In Memoriam by Joel Love

Leafless Trees was composed in the especially harsh winter months of February and March 2010. The movements of the composition where inspired by observations made in the park close to my home during and after a severe blizzard. The scenes from winter storm include being lost in a complete white out from relentless snow. Also observing limbs from giant maples swaying several feet in either direction from the wind, as well as and the aftermath of the wind and the weight of the snow on fallen limbs and uprooted trees.

This recording was from a live performance in conjunction with the Indiana University 2016 Saxophone Academy.

Leafless Trees by David Laganella - I. Unyielding

Leafless Trees was composed in the especially harsh winter months of February and March 2010. The movements of the composition where inspired by observations made in the park close to my home during and after a severe blizzard. The scenes from winter storm include being lost in a complete white out from relentless snow. Also observing limbs from giant maples swaying several feet in either direction from the wind, as well as and the aftermath of the wind and the weight of the snow on fallen limbs and uprooted trees.

This recording was from a live performance in conjunction with the Indiana University 2016 Saxophone Academy.


Leafless Trees by David Laganella - II. Separated from the others

Leafless Trees by David Laganella - III.  Little Black Birds

Leafless Trees by David Laganella - IV. The Fallen

Leafless Trees by David Laganella - V. Towards the Sky

In the second movement of Nagao's "Quatuor de Saxophones," the listener is taken on an intense journey of emotions.  The title of the movement, "Chercher," is the French verb "to search" or "to look for". 
 Nagao writes in a way that compels a certain anxious energy, as if time is running out, and the search is on! 

Jun Nagao (b. 1964) uses the saxophone quartet in a way that is different than many, yet still highly idiomatic to us as performers.  In addition to writing for saxophone quartet, Nagao has also written several works for wind ensemble, chamber ensembles, film, video games, and TV scores.

Quatuor - II. Chercher, by Jun Nagao

Podcast Intro Music

Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations was first published in 1741 for the harpsichord, and like many of Bach's timeless works, this composition transfers smoothly to the instrumentation of the saxophone quartet. This arrangement was set by the American composer David Maslanka, who shared an intimate connection with Bach's writing.

The work begins with the aria, and after 30 variations the aria returns once more to close the composition. Though it is note-for-note equal to the first statement, the Aria da Capo has the weight and maturity of finality, and it is a satisfying conclusion to Bach's massive and truly substantial work.

This performance was given on April 6, 2018 at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory in the featured 'Out of the Bachs' concert.

The Kenari Quartet is:
Bob Eason, soprano saxophone
Kyle Baldwin, alto saxophone
Corey Dundee, tenor saxophone
Steven Banks, baritone saxophone

Applauded for their “flat-out amazing” performances and “stunning virtuosity” (Cleveland Classical), the highly acclaimed Kenari Quartet delivers inspiring performances that transform the perception of the saxophone. The quartet aims to highlight the instrument’s remarkable versatility by presenting meticulously crafted repertoire from all periods of classical and contemporary music.

The Kenari Quartet has found a home performing on many of the premiere chamber music series in the United States. Recent engagements include appearances at Chamber Music Northwest, the Grand Teton Music Festival, and Chamber Music Tulsa, among others. For many chamber music institutions, the Kenari Quartet has been proud to serve as the first ensemble of its kind to be presented.

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