| _ |
_ |
"Gemini"
Variations
for
two saxophones
8 minutes
Excerpt: score (pdf)
sound
"Gemini"
Variations is a short, virtuosic
piece that may be performed by any two identical saxophones. As
its
title indicates, this piece treats the two saxophones as “twins”: that
is, as entities that are identical yet also individual. Though
the
“Thema” of the piece is a 10-note row, the real “theme” of the piece is
the exploration of the ways two saxophones can interrelate
texturally.
The search for individuality out of unity becomes the overall dramatic
conceit of the piece.
In the first half of the piece the instruments
move from a spirit of unity (Var. I - harmonizing a single melody in
thirds)
to a spirit of co-operation (Var. II – a canon, and Var. III – melody
and
accompaniment). In the second half of the piece the saxophones
begin
to assert their independence: though they always “co-operate” to
present
the pitches of the Thema, each instrument grows increasingly bold in
its
assertion of its own identity. The music of the second half
becomes more and more energetic and fragmented as the two instruments
battle,
each searching for a way to break free of the other. But despite
their efforts the instruments are never able to fully separate
themselves.
Though the battle ends in a draw, the final measures of the piece seem
to present a settlement of the issue, however uneasy: each instrument
plays
the Thema in unison rhythm but in a different octave. Thus,
despite
their identical nature and their responsibility to the Thema, each
saxophone
is able to establish its own identity by marking out its own registral
“turf”.
Additional Information
"Gemini Variations" may be
peformed on
any two identical saxophones. The composer suggests two tenors or
two baritones.
Performance History
2005:
Phillip Stauedlin,
Kent O’Doherty, saxophones, Tufts University Concert Series, Medford,
Mass.
2005:
Phillip Stauedlin,
Kent O’Doherty, saxophones, College Music Society Northeast Chapter
Meeting,
Bridgewater State College, Massachusetts
2005:
Phillip Stauedlin,
Kent O’Doherty, saxophones, Musica Eclectica Concert Series, Eastern
Nazarene
College,
Quincy, Mass
|
_ |
