Trepanning Sonata was commissioned by Nathan Henshaw. It is one movement, broken into interrelated sections. The opening consists of a trance-inducing repeated note, gradually building into the chord that the piece is based on. The idea is to build up overtones in the room, to really draw the listener in to a subtle world. The tenor sax eventually becomes the foreground, making a personable opening solo cadenza, interspersed with jagged piano interruptions. From here the roles intertwine moving from lyrical to insistent rhythmic statements. The closing section recalls the mood from the opening.
Nathan Henshaw premiered ‘Trepanning Sonata’ on January 18, 2012 at the Sydney Saxophone Summer School and then on March 23, 2012 for a solo recital at St Stephen’s Church, Sydney. Martin Kay, the composer, performed the work for the 2013 Australasian Saxophone Conference in Sydney and recorded the work for his ‘Chamber Music Feast: Volume Two’ album.
Martin Kay - Chamber Music Feast: Volume Two (Martin Kay / Bandcamp 2013)
Astute Music