The Red Saxophone

PRISM Quartet, Sat., Feb. 16, 8 p.m., $15-$20, Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St., 215-438-5282, prismquartet.com.


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Published: Feb 13, 2008

classical

Invented in the 1840s in Paris, the saxophone achieved early success as a military band instrument and eventually became the iconic sound of jazz. It has been less well-known in the realm of classical music, with one notable exception: The Russians, especially in the Soviet era, took quite a shine to the invention of Adolphe Sax. Perhaps the best-known use of the sax in the Russian canon is in Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet, but there are many other examples, and the PRISM Quartet highlights this legacy in a concert they are calling The Red Saxophone. The program begins with a pre-Soviet figure, with the landmark sax quartet of Glazunov, a brilliant composer, and a major figure in Russian pedagogy, having mentored Stravinsky and Shostakovich, among many others. The recital will continue into the red period with music of Gubaidulina, Denisov, Firsova and Smirnov, all four exponents of the legendary Moscow Conservatory.

PRISM Quartet, Sat., Feb. 16, 8 p.m., $15-$20, Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St., 215-438-5282, prismquartet.com.