Commission to Simone Movio

Commissioned by the Asociación Sonsonart, the composer Simone Movio has created a new work for saxophone and ensemble. saxophone and ensemble. The piece will be premiered at the European  Saxophone Congress from 15 to 20 July 2024 in Trento. The commission is made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Movio’s relationship with the saxophone goes back almost 20 years, and this new work Incanto XXX for solo saxophone (soprano, alto), flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano  piano is the result of a joint research project between Simone and the saxophonist Ángel Soria.

“I have had a special relationship with the saxophone and saxophonists for many years. After realising the potential of this instrument through intensive work with performers, I used it in many compositions and instrumental combinations, from solo to large ensemble. This instrument perfectly realised my compositional and tonal ideas: great tonal and dynamic flexibility, polyphonic sounds and other microtonal possibilities. I utilised its richness of sound as much as possible and emphasised its inharmonic qualities. Now my activity is more focussed on harmonic procedures, with a clear melodic tendency. With this piece, Incanto XXX, I want the saxophone to participate in this reclamation, although it is difficult to match its particular sound spectrum to it: I am confident that I will succeed in giving the saxophone an almost concertante role by making it the tonal centre of an ensemble consisting of solo saxophone (soprano and alto), flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano. The ensemble smoothes out the harmonic roughness of the saxophone by using the soprano saxophone for the melodic passages and the alto saxophone for its great harmonic and polyphonic possibilities. For three years I almost didn’t compose, I studied a lot; I had already tried to ‘melodise’ the saxophone, but I hadn’t really succeeded. When Ángel Soria Diaz asked me to compose a piece for him, I immediately thought it was time to resume intensive compositional work: an idea came to me as if of its own accord. The Eursax Trento 2024 seems to me to be the best setting to present this new piece to the saxophone community,” says Simone Movio.

Dates

July 19, 2024
Società Filarmonica di Trento

November 30, 2024
Ciudad de la Música, Auditorio Remacha, Pamplona