Chameleon SIGNUM saxophone quartet

• Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809): String Quartet No. 37 B Minor, Op. 33 No. 1 Hob. III:37:
• 1 Haydn: String Quartet No. 37 B Minor, Op. 33 No. 1 Hob. III:37: I. Allegro Moderato (Arr. For saxophone quartet by SIGNUM saxophone Quartet) 05:03
• 2 Haydn: String Quartet No. 37 B Minor, Op. 33 No. 1 Hob. III:37: II. Scherzo: Allegro di Molto (Arr. For saxophone quartet by SIGNUM saxophone Quartet) 02:06
• 3 Haydn: String Quartet No. 37 B Minor, Op. 33 No. 1 Hob. III:37: III. Andante (Arr. For saxophone quartet by SIGNUM saxophone Quartet) 04:54
• 4 Haydn: String Quartet No. 37 B Minor, Op. 33 No. 1 Hob. III:37: IV. Finale: Presto (Arr. For saxophone quartet by SIGNUM saxophone Quartet) 03:31
• Ernest Bloch (1880 - 1959): Prayer (From Jewish Life):
• 5 Bloch: Prayer (From Jewish Life) 04:20
• Alexander Glazunov (1865 - 1939): Saxophone Quartet B Major, Op. 109:
• 6 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet B Major, Op. 109: I. Allegro 06:15
• 7 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet B Major, Op. 109: IIa. Canzona varieé. Andante 01:29
• 8 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet B Major, Op. 109: IIb. Var. 1 - L'istesso Tempo 01:10
• 9 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet B Major, Op. 109: IIc. Var. 2. Con Anima 01:09
• 10 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet B Major, Op. 109: IId. Var. 3. À la Schumann. Grave 02:52
• 11 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet B Major, Op. 109: IIe. Var. 4. À la Chopin. Allegro. 01:58
• 12 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet B Major, Op. 109: IIf. Var. 5. Scherzo, Presto 01:40
• 13 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet B Major, Op. 109: III. Finale, Allegro Moderato 06:05
• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Fünf Lieder, Op. 49, No. 4:
• 14 Brahms: Fünf Lieder, Op. 49, No. 4: Wiegenlied 02:35
• George Gershwin (1898 - 1937): Bess, You Is My Woman Now:
• 15 Gershwin: Bess, You Is My Woman Now 05:27
• Viet Cuong (b.1990): Prized Possessions:
• 16 Cuong: Prized Possessions: II. Beggar's Lace (48kHz) 05:36
• Anonymous: Misirlou (Attr. Nikos Roubanis):
• 17 Anonymous: Misirlou (Attr. Nikos Roubanis) 03:59
• Malcolm Mitchell Young (1953 - 2017), Angus McKinnon Young (1955): Thunderstruck:
• 18 Young, Young: Thunderstruck 02:55
• Total Runtime 01:03:04

Info for Chameleon

What do a saxophone and a chameleon have in common? At first glance: nothing - but on closer inspection: SO MUCH!

The acoustic proof is provided by the SIGNUM saxophone quartet on their album "Chameleon", which will be released on 12 April on Berlin Classics!

Inspired by the fascinating ability of the chameleon to change its skin colour and communicate with its surroundings, Blaž Kemperle, Jacopo Taddei, Alan Lužar and Guerino Bellarosa present a unique collection of pieces that focus on the versatility and expressiveness of the saxophone.

The four exceptional musicians, who have known each other since their student days, embark on an emotional journey through a wide variety of eras and genres with an equal measure of attachment to music history and unbridled joy in crossing boundaries.

From Joseph Haydn's "Russian Quartets" to Alexander Glasunov's "Quartet for Four Saxophones" and Viet Cuong's modern charge of energy in "Beggar's Lace" to specially arranged versions of the legendary "Pulp Fiction" film score "Misirlou" and AC/DC's rock classic "Thunderstruck": the SIGNUMs demonstrate their masterful virtuosity and unwavering love of music in every single piece.

Once again, they are supported by an exquisite selection of high-ranking guest musicians: cellist Eckart Runge, for example, accompanies the Slovenian-Italian quartet in Ernest Bloch's "Prayer", which expresses the moving melody of a Jewish prayer song, while Alexej Gerassimez on the marimba provides the colourful spice of sound in a special version of Johannes Brahms' "Wiegenlied".

And the interplay with Fedor Rudin on the violin in "Bess you is my woman now" from "Porgy and Bess" makes it clear: the saxophone is even at home in the opera!

"Chameleon" is not just an album: it is an artistic statement that leaves the listener astonished and, in the end, moved and speechless. The message is as simple as it is wonderful: boundaries are there to be overcome!

SIGNUM saxophone quartet

Signum Saxophone Quartet
The four musicians Blaž Kemperle, Hayrapet Arakelyan, Alan Lužar and Guerino Bellarosa met in Cologne where they founded the SIGNUM saxophone quartet in 2006. The saxophonists have studied in Cologne, Vienna and Paris; they have been influenced and inspired by the Quatuor Ébène, Artemis Quartet and Gabor Takács-Nágy.

Award winners at international competitions including Lugano and Berlin, SIGNUM nowadays play in concert halls and at festivals all over Europe. In 2013 they made their debut in the Carnegie Hall NY. A very special and remarkable achievement was the award Rising Stars 2014/2015 given by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO), which took SIGNUM to such prestigious concert halls as the Barbican Centre London, Konzerthaus Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, Gulbenkian Lisbon, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Philharmonie Cologne, amongst others. Recently SIGNUM was awarded “Best Ensemble” by prestigious German Festival Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern.

SIGNUM are constantly searching for new ideas, ground breaking challenges and intriguing artistic encounters. Their sheer joy and experimental versatility are reflected in their extraordinary programs; the four young musicians are also to be heard in classical quartet formations and they continue to create exciting, never before seen joint arrangements with inspiring soundscapes.

In the upcoming season, SIGNUM will perform various programs with exciting chamber music partners: Starry Night with Alexej Gerassimez (percussion), BACHianas with Tanja Tetzlaff or Konstantin Manaev (cello); SIGNUM & Bartolomey with Matthias Bartolomey (cello) and a new composition of Florian Willeitner, Rhapsody in Blu with Lukas Geniušas (piano), and the new and never-heard program Goldberg Nights with Kai Schumacher (piano & prepared piano). A new project with Daniel Hope (violin) will follow the performance at Hope@Home which has been streamed on Arte.tv. In 2021, they have scheduled various quartet recitals and masterclasses at international prestigious festival and concert halls in Europe and China. Furthermore, SIGNUM will continue performing with orchestra; on the program: P. Glass’ Concerto for orchestra and saxophone quartet, Bob Mintzer’s The Rhythm of the Americas with Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Symphony Orchestra of Münster and Duisburg Philharmonic. In autumn 2021, SIGNUM will start an exciting season in Duisburg as “Artist in Residence”. The SIGNUMs also care deeply about the audience of tomorrow, and so they have devised their own educational family concert SIGNUM4kids.

Following their first two albums, Debut (2011) and Balkanication (2014), on 15th January 2021 SIGNUM will present their first Deutsche Grammophon’s album ECHOES available as e-album and featuring inventive arrangements by composers from Dowland, Faurè and Albinoni to Peter Gregson, as well as Guillermo Lago’s ‘Sarajevo’, original for saxophone quartet and including also standout tracks by Max Richter and Joep Beving. The launch is marked by a concert on DG Stage streamed from the Berlin Meistersaal.

This album contains no booklet.