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Music by Stuart Greenbaum, Featuring Barry Cockcroft, saxophones
RM 099
Available from reedmusic.com, the Australian Music Centre <amcoz.com.au>, and
selected stores. This CD, devoted entirely to the music of Stuart Greenbaum is a treat for lovers of Australian classical music. There are two sonatas, for saxophone and for violin, solo pieces for violin, saxophone, and piano and two sets of songs. The effect is direct, warm and affectionate all at once.
Of interest to readers of this magazine are the performances of the Sonata for alto
saxophone and piano and Octennial Song by Barry Cockcroft. Cockcroft’s sound blends delicately with the piano in the Sonata, bringing out the popular music influences that lie throughout Greenbaum’s CD. The three contrasting movements demonstrate great virtuosity on the part of Cockcroft and his collaborator, Adam Pinto. It is a performance that will be of interest to any saxophonists wanting to perform this difficult but rewarding piece.
groups of two and three quavers, developing into a very strong set of memorable themes, ending with an altissimo version of the theme that is ethereal and haunting. The second movement is dogged in its slow forward movement. The simple theme becoming gradually more ornate as the movement unfolds. The climax unfolds in a cascade of scales that brings the piece to its emotional high point. The third movement, marked Mercurial, the title of the CD, is made of additive rhythms, as in the first movement, but faster. The judicious use of altissimo to bring the piece to an exciting finale is well negotiated by Cockcroft, who is surely one of Australia’s finest exponents of classical saxophone playing.
The Octennial Song is a short piece for solo soprano saxophone. The miniature piece is in ternary form, the outer sections being more disjointed than the middle section, which moves in a singing waltz. Cockcroft’s performance draws attention to the exaggerated awkwardness of the tune, bringing out all the craggy corners of both the piece and the soprano saxophone. Too often the soprano saxophone can sound like the ugly duckling, here Cockcroft, using Greenbaum’s piece, shows us that there is a swan inside just dying to get out.
The other repertoire on the CD is also beautifully performed and recorded. The violin sonata is my favourite piece of the other works, characterised by gypsy wildness and sometimes a folksy warmth that I think is one of the truly special aspects of Greenbaum’s music. His music draws in the listener (and performer) making them feel welcome and special. This is quite a talent. I highly recommend this CD.
– James Nightingale
AC&S Vol 8-4 December 2005