Sigfried Karg-Elert
is mostly known as a composer of organ music, and he had fans in that field as far afield as the U.S. These saxophone works were troubled by inaccurate editions, and they're played here in a new one by saxophonist
Raaf Hekkema
; for
Karg-Elert
fans the album will be essential, but it is really of interest to anyone. There are hints of jazz (sample the unique "Cubana [in modo frigico], in Phrygian mode"), but
says his intention was to strike new paths that included jazz but were not bound to it. Indeed, there are Baroque dances, theatrical pieces,
Bach
ian essays, and much more, all wrapped up into the composer's highly individual language, and most of the music is at the edge of tonality. It would not be going too far to say that
found a unique link between the neoclassic and German modernist trends in the 1920s, and this deserves to be heard. The program flowers at the end into what the composer designated as an "Atonal Sonata" (the works here were all composed together and intended for performance that way), which has a whole new flavor when introduced this way.
Hekkema
has obviously studied these works well and plays them beautifully, but they're suited for inclusion on concerts and recordings by others. A real contribution to the slender classical saxophone repertory. ~ James Manheim