Concerto Op.26 - Paul Creston

     

      The three-movement Concerto for Alto Saxophone is considered one of Creston’s major works, as it demands polished technique and exacting control of both the soloist and ensemble. Originally written for orchestra, the Concerto was first performed by the New York Philharmonic in 1944, featuring Vincent Abato as soloist. In 1963, Creston rescored the work for symphonic band. The first movement, Energetic, is in sonata form and opens with an ensemble tutti section of the first theme, followed by solo saxophone flourishes. The soloist first presents the lyrical second theme alone, followed by the oboes and clarinets. The richly lyrical second movement, Meditative, begins with the principal theme presented by the flute, then the bassoon. The melody is plaintively beautiful and is composed within a 5/4 meter, although the melody’s rhythmic and phrasal structure does not follow the traditional bar line. Near the middle of the movement, the soloist performs a lengthy cadenza based upon the juxtaposition of melodic fragments and accompanimental material presented earlier in the movement. The movement concludes much as it began, this time with the theme first presented by the oboe, continued by the solo saxophone, and ultimately yielding to a serene F-sharp-major chord.

The third movement, Rhythmic, is in rondo form, including an energetic and vigorous A theme, a flowing, melodic B theme, and an impassioned and martial C theme. The piece concludes with a frenetic solo cadenza, followed by an exuberant and punctuated finale.