Drift is a meditative work for saxophone quartet that guides listeners across five centuries of sound. It is an ideal piece for ensembles seeking profound, contemporary saxophone quartet music designed to interact with architectural space. Its slow, deliberate journey makes it a compelling piece for any concert program.
for musicians and concert programmers
About the Composition
This piece forms a musical bridge between two distinct sound worlds. It begins with the ethereal polyphony of Johannes Ockeghem’s 15th-century Missa mi-mi. From there, it journeys to the incisive, modern language of Steffen Schleiermacher’s Gregorianik 1.
A Musical ‘River Crossing’
The title has a special meaning. Indeed, Drift comes from the South African English word for a ford—a shallow place to cross a river. This idea appears in European place names like Dordrecht, Oxford and Frankfurt. In the same way, this piece guides the listener across a symbolic river of time. Consequently, the music unfolds slowly, allowing for a conscious experience of the transition from past to present.
Space as a Resonant Chamber
The performance venue is a vital part of this work. Drift was composed for the renowned sonic.art quartet and is written specifically for the majestic acoustics of Gothic churches. The natural reverberation of the space is not an afterthought; it is an integral component of the composition.
For this reason, the tempo is not fixed. Instead, the musicians must adapt their speed to the specific resonance of the concert hall. This approach ensures the music merges with the architecture, creating a transparent and site-specific auditory experience in every performance.
Also for saxophone quartet: Lachrymae
For performers
Instruments:
ssax, asax
tsax, barsax
Duration:
Ca. 6′
(variable with
acoustics)
Year:
2023
Premiere:
9 juli 2023
Neuzelle (D)
sonic.art quartett
Category:
2-5 musicians
Language:
–
Lyricist:
–
Are you interested in performing this work? Please contact my publisher.
Renske’s sheet music
is published by Deuss Music.