Sound of the Sun Sally Beamish: Under the Wing of the Rock; The Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone; Mahler: Rückert-lieder, Op. 44 – Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen; Symphony No. 2 – Urlicht Branford Marsalis (saxophone); Virginia Symphony/Eric Jacobsen Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0187 42:05 mins
When Sally Beamish’s viola concerto Under the Wing of the Rock was premiered by the Scottish Ensemble and Lawrence Power in 2006, saxophonist Branford Marsalis was immediately taken by its folkloric charm and lingering melodies. He asked Beamish to create a saxophone version, which was first performed by him with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2009. This recording with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra draws out the tragic lyricism; Marsalis soars across the cantabile sections, bringing an improvisatory feel to the shifting colours – and offering beautiful bookending solos. The second concerto, The Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone, was always intended for saxophone: written for John Harle, it brings together influences from across timespans and cultures, centred around a Swedish herding call. Marsalis returns to this resonant leitmotif, which is transformed by moving tonal centres and chirruping virtuosic development, culminating in an ethereal, tolling finale – a programmatic depiction of solstice light on an ancient tomb. An arrangement of one of Mahler’s Rückert-lieder, ‘Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen’, is an unexpected hit.
Claire Jackson