Danse Saxophoniste Audax Saxophonquartett

• Ferenc Farkas (1905 - 2000): Old Hungarian Dances:
• 1 Farkas: Old Hungarian Dances: I. Intrada. Allegro - Trio 01:51
• 2 Farkas: Old Hungarian Dances: II. Lassú. Moderato cantabile 02:18
• 3 Farkas: Old Hungarian Dances: III. Lapockás Tánc. Allegro 01:35
• 4 Farkas: Old Hungarian Dances: IV. Ugrós. Allegro 01:28
• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Le Tombeau de Couperin:
• 5 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin: I. Prélude. Vif 03:23
• 6 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin: II. Forlane. Allegretto 05:42
• 7 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin: III. Menuet. Allegro moderato 04:01
• 8 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin: IV. Rigaudon. Assez vif - Moins vite - 1er mouvement 03:10
• Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945): Romanian Dances:
• 9 Bartók: Romanian Dances: I. Jocul cu bâtă. Allegro moderato 01:17
• 10 Bartók: Romanian Dances: II. Brâul. Allegro 00:36
• 11 Bartók: Romanian Dances: III. Pe loc. Andante 01:15
• 12 Bartók: Romanian Dances: IV. Buciumeana. Moderato 01:50
• 13 Bartók: Romanian Dances: V. Poarga românească. Allegro 00:33
• 14 Bartók: Romanian Dances: VI. Măruntelul. Allegro 00:52
• Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907): Aus Holbergs Zeit:
• 15 Grieg: Aus Holbergs Zeit: I. Prélude. Allegro vivace 02:39
• 16 Grieg: Aus Holbergs Zeit: II. Sarabande. Andante 03:38
• 17 Grieg: Aus Holbergs Zeit: III. Gavotte. Allegretto - Musette. Poco più mosso 03:01
• 18 Grieg: Aus Holbergs Zeit: IV. Air. Andante religioso 05:15
• 19 Grieg: Aus Holbergs Zeit: V. Rigaudon. Allegro con brio - Poco meno mosso 03:34
• Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921): Danse macabre:
• 20 Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre: Mouvement modéré de Valse 07:08
• Thierry Escaich (b. 1965): Tango virtuoso:
• 21 Escaich: Tango virtuoso: Allegro moderato 05:37
• Total Runtime 01:00:43

Info for Danse Saxophoniste

On their album DANSE SAXOPHONISTE, the four musicians of the Audax saxophone quartet place dance from different countries and musical eras at the centre of their programme. The journey takes them from the courtly dance music of the late Baroque to the morbid sensuality of Saint-Saëns' “Dance of Death” and folkloristic pepper from Hungary and Romania... The result is a fascinating blend of old and new, of familiar and astonishing sounds.

When the saxophone plays the blues in smoky pubs, the instrument seems to return to its jazzy roots. But when it takes on well-known works of classical music, the result is a fascinating blend of old and new, of familiar and astonishing sounds. This is exactly where the repertoire paths on which classical saxophone ensembles such as the Audax Saxophone Quartet walk run. Or would it be better to say ‘dance’? Because dance is the unifying element of the pieces selected here. The journey ranges from the courtly dance music of the late Baroque period, as revived by Edvard Grieg in his ‘Holberg Suite’, to the morbid sensuality of Saint-Saëns' “Dance of Death” and folkloristic pepper from Hungary or Romania; planned and mastered by arrangers, of course. But the quartet has also put one original composition on the music stands: The ‘Tango virtuoso’ by French contemporary Thierry Escaich.

Audax Saxophone Quartet:
Christina Bernard, soprano saxophone
Ann-Kathrin Grammel, alto saxophone
Annalena Neu, tenor saxophone
Regina Reiter, baritone saxophone

Audax Saxophone Quartet
The four young saxophonists Christina Bernard (soprano saxophone), Ann-Kathrin Grammel (alto saxophone), Annalena Neu (tenor saxophone) and Regina Reiter (baritone saxophone) met during their joint saxophone studies at the Würzburg University of Music and combine their great passion for chamber music in the Audax Saxophone Quartet. The four have set themselves big goals, not least to live up to their name (audax = Latin for brave, bold).

Five years after the quartet was founded, the musicians can already look back on a number of successes. The quartet has already been awarded the eponymous prize twice at the chamber music competition for the Wolfgang Fischer and Maria Fischer Flach Prize and then performed in the Würzburg Residence. In the summer of 2019 and 2021, the four young musicians were able to take part in the International Chamber Music Campus of the Jeunesses Musicales at Weikersheim Castle and hone their diverse repertoire with the renowned chamber music greats Heime Müller, Günter Pichler, Dirk Mommertz, Marianna Shirinyan as well as the members of the Kuss Quartet and the Cuarteto Casals. In November 2019, they took part in the Bad Homburg Master Class for Chamber Music with Prof. Angelika Merkle, Prof. Tim Vogler and Dipl. Tonmeister Christian Starke. When they took part again in Bad Homburg in 2021, the quartet was awarded the 28th prize, which included a professional sound recording.

Booklet for Danse Saxophoniste