Howling at the Moon

This dark and expressive saxophone quartet fuses music suggestive of different traditions, from Japanese Taiko drumming to African-American gospel singing. The work's title is vividly portrayed in the first movement, which calls for the saxes to do some real wailing! (duration – 12:20)

“This expressive quartet for soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones was commissioned by the Harmo Saxophone Quartet of Tokyo and is a significant contribution to the repertoire. Blending technical demands with expressive gestures, this three-movement work begins with an episode called Wailing. It has frantic chromatic sweeps that are passed between players and are interrupted by slap-tonguing and pointillistic and fragmented phrases. The slower middle section uses a gospel song style and final frenzied section includes rhythmic vocal sounds and fragmented melodies in triple meter.”--The Instrumentalist