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Parable

Parable

(2012) 7’
for solo saxophone

Description

Parable is a short work for solo alto saxophone. The idea for the piece came from the legend of the Gordian Knot in which Alexander the Great, unable to untie the rope, slices the knot in half with his sword, ensuring his future good fortune. The piece doesn’t depict the story in a literal sense but explores a cyclical pattern of notes that is periodically ‘cut’ by interjecting material. The piece was written for Simon Haram.

Articles & reviews


‘a spare, evocative soundworld’ / Judith Mackrell / Guardian
‘The London Sinfonietta Shorts series launched in 2008 when the Sinfonietta asked composers to contribute tiny scores for its 40th birthday. The idea of the shorts worked so well that the ensemble kept commissioning, and this latest group opens with Anna Meredith’s big-statement Axeman, a blazing outburst for electronically distorted bassoon, and moves on to Jonathan Harvey’s marvellous Little Duo, Mark Bowden’s sensuous, cyclical Parable for alto saxophone and Harrison Birtwistle Duets Nos 1, 2, 4 & 5. For a snapshot of many NMC-related artists, this downloadable collection is an ideal starter’ / Kate Molleson / Gramophone

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