Francis Bacon, In Memory of George Dyer (1971)
In my opinion, this work is one of the most challenging pieces of the repertoire for baritone saxophone I ever played. Good choice… and good luck!
The Composer
JOSÉ LUIS CAMPANA (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1949) is a renamed composer based in Paris (France) since 1979, where he finished his studies in composition with the best European masters. His production has a copious amount of genres and many of his works have been premiered and performed in the most important contemporary music festivals in the world. At the same time, he also was analyse and contemporary music professor at CNSMD Paris (France) and MUSIKENE San Sebastian (Spain).
Click here to read more about the composer.
Details of the work
Publisher: Babel Scores, Paris (FRA)
Duration: Around 10:30
Range (written): A2 – B6
TECHNIQUES: Overtones, vibrato and oscillations, very fast excerpts, air sounds, extreme dynamics (ffff-pppp), extreme altissimo register, glissandi, trills and tremolos, tonguing accuracy, diversity of articulations, slaps, ¼ tones, flatter, sudden changes of elements (articulations, dynamics, etc.) and expression, performative interpretation.
PERFORMANCE: To play with lots of expressive energy. To create very intense, perturbing and even violent frames of mind. Scenic attitude. Very contrasted changes of character.
Meaning and structure
TROIS RÊVES EN MUSIQUE was commissioned in 2011 by the “Association Bar&Co” and dedicated to Eric Devallon (1964-2016), great master of the baritone saxophone in classical music and member of Quatuor Diastema.
Due to the serious illness of Eric Devallon, the composition process was interrupted several times. With the consent by Eric Devallon, I began to work this piece with José Luis Campana. After some changes, I recorded the final version in my first solo album Believer (INS Records, 2015) and premiered it at the 17th World Saxophone Congress, SaxOpen, in Strasbourg (France) in July 2015.
The three movements or musical dreams are:
- Cauchemar (nightmare). It is a short movement with lot of agitation.
- Sulla strada (on the street). The composer imagines an Afro-American musician improvising freely with strong rhythmic character.
- A Bacon (1909-1992). This movement creates a disturbing atmosphere based on the complex personality of the Anglo-Irish painter Francis Bacon.
TROIS RÊVES EN MUSIQUE should be played with a biggest as possible Tam (Gong). Tam is used to produce resonances and give a special colour, especially in the first and third movements.
The indications of the score are very precise, the notation is conventional and the reading is clear.
Do you want to work on TROIS RÊVES EN MUSIQUE with me? Don’t hesitate to contact me
