Thursday, September 25, 2014

Paul Hindemith: Concert Piece For Two Alto Saxophones

     Every composition has a story, whether it is as simple as - oh, I think I will write a song today, or maybe deeper reasons for writing a composition. Here is a story for Paul Hindemith`s Konzertuck Fur Zwei Altsaxophone, or in English - Concert Piece For Two Alto Saxophones.

     Composer Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963) is one of my favorite composers in the western art music genre. I fell in love with Paul Hindemith`s music when I was introduced to his composition Ludus Tonalis, which goes through the cycle of all 24 major and minor keys.

     Concert Piece For Two Alto Saxophones was composed in 1933, for Sigurd Rascher. Sigurd  Rascher discussed many details of the piece with Paul Hindemith directly. Hindemith was a composer of late Romantic and Modern style periods.

     Paul Hindemith was from Germany, and during the takeover by the Nazis and right-wing cultural organizations, Hindemith`s works were prohibited. There was an official performance ban on all his works by October, 1936. In 1938, Paul Hindemith emigrated to Switzerland, and later to the United States. Saxophonist Sigurd Rascher left Germany in 1933.

      For years,  Concert Piece For Two Alto Saxophones could not be performed in public due to a lack of suitable alto saxophonist. Concert Piece For Two Alto Saxophones premiered in New York State with Sigurd Rascher`s daughter playing second alto, in 1960. Rascher programmed the piece for his 1964 concert in Zurich, Switzerland. Scheduled for March 6, 1964, Sigurd Rascher invited Paul Hindemith to his concert. Hindemith was so delighted, and accepted the invitation to hear Concert Piece For Two Alto Saxophones for the first time. Paul Hindemith died in December, 1963, just three months before Sigurd Rascher`s performance of Concert Piece For Two Alto Saxophones.

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