Composition database

This is the Composition Database of BMC, which includes information about works by composers that are either Hungarian or Hungarian by origin or live in Hungary.

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Composer
Eötvös Péter
Original / Hungarian title
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Foreign language / English title
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Subtitle
Concerto for saxophone and orchestra
Dedication
to Marcus Weiss
Year of composition
2021
Type
Concerto
Instrumentation
sax.t. solo (anche sax.s.) - 2 fl. (II anche picc. and fl.a.), 2 ob. (II anche c.ing.), 2 cl. in A (II anche cl.picc.), cl.b., 2 fg. - 2 tr., trb. - perc. (2 esec.: campli., raganella, ptti., ptto.ch., tambourine, vibraslap, 2 maracas, vibr., 2 cmpc., ptto. china, tmb.picc.c.c., 3 conga, claves, newspaper sheet) - pf. (anche cel.) - strings: 12 vl. 1, 10 vl. 2, 8 vla., 6 vlc., 4 cb. (or 6 vl. 1, 5 vl. 2, 4 vla., 3 vlc., 2 cb.)
Duration
20 min
Movements, parts
1. ♪. = 88
2. ♩ = 69
3. Moderato, ♩ = 96
4. ♩ = 88
Commissioned by
WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Basel Symphony Orchestra, L´Orchestre National de Lille
Premiere information
15 January 2022, Funkhaus am Wallrafplatz, Cologne, Germany; Marcus Weiss (sax.), WDR Symphony Orchestra, Elena Schwarz (cond.)

23 March 2024, Grand Hall, Academy of Music, Budapest, Erzsébet Seleljo (sax.), Concerto Budapest, Pedro Amaral (cond.) (Hungarian premiere)
Publisher / Source
Edition Schott © 2021, Order No.: LS 6182-01
Available here!
Recordings
Recording of the Swiss premiere (16 February 2022, Basel) - Marcus Weiss (sax.), Sinfonieorchester Basel, Péter Eötvös (cond.) (Available on youtube.com)
Remarks, other info
"The saxophone has been very close to me since I was a child because it sounds like I’m singing myself. I’ve heard a lot from Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins … but that was all jazz and improvisation, and I compose in a different style, I write down every note. While composing, I always made sure to find the individual voice that is characteristic of this work and this instrument. Saxophones often appear in my orchestral works, I’ve also written a saxophone quartet, but FOCUS is the first time I’ve treated the saxophone as a solo instrument. The idea for FOCUS comes from the world of film cameras. Just as the camera is often “focused” on someone or something in films, my piece also has a “background” (the orchestra), and a “Premier Plan” (a soloist) and my “sound camera” slowly opens up in slow motion one or the other focused." (Péter Eötvös)