MacMillan, James - Saxophone Concerto (Hawkes Pocket Score - HPS 1656)

Scored for soprano saxophone and string orchestra, the composer states that this short concerto is based on archetypes of Scottish traditional music. The first movement, March, Strathspey and Reel, follows the pattern of a medley of fast dance forms, each section becoming faster and faster. The second movement loosely follows the practice of singing Gaelic psalmody in the Scottish western isles, where a cantor (in this case the saxophone soloist) leads with a melodic line, to be followed by the congregation (the string orchestra) who weave a heterophonic texture out of the canonic flow of parts. The last movement is based on the simple compound rhythm of the jig, marked ‘giocoso’.

A major addition to the concertante saxophone repertory, the work was first performed in 2018 at Perth Concert Hall, Scotland, by Amy Dickson and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Joseph Swensen.