Traum der Jugend in Bloomington, MN

Traum der Jugend
is a 2023 release by the saxophone quartet
Kebyart
, whose unusual name is a pun of that of the Balinese gamelan
Gong Kebyar
ensemble, suggesting flaring contrasts but also a sudden realization of group cohesion.
has such cohesion in spades; this album contains impressive ensemble playing and a fine sense of how to sequence and bring together a diversity of materials.
sets itself the mission of developing a repertory for saxophone quartet, which is currently almost nonexistent. The group commissions new works, and there is a thoroughly enjoyable one here in the form of
Joerg Widmann
's seven
Capricci for saxophone quartet
, which were written for and premiered by the group, notwithstanding the booklet listing saying that all the works on the album were arranged. This is a marvelously idiomatic piece (sample the fifth capriccio, "Keys"). The rest of the album consists of arrangements of various earlier works, with a sort of three-act structure that really shows what is possible with an album of this kind. The middle act, after the
Widmann
, features sacred pieces and two of
Mendelssohn
's dense, polyphonic
Four Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 81
. At the end come two
Songs Without Words
(
Felix Mendelssohn
) and two of the
Four Lieder for Piano, Op. 6
, of
Fanny Mendelssohn
, more melodic and transparent in texture. The impression by the end is that this group really can do it all, and one has the feeling of having traversed a lot of musical ground. Much more than a novelty, this album is exemplary in the way it develops a new musical medium. ~ James Manheim