On the Softer Side (2008)
for Baritone (or Alto) Saxophone and Piano
or
For Clarinet and Piano
6 minutes
Program Notes
On the softer side was composed for saxophonist Erik Steighner and premiered at the 2008 North American Saxophone Alliance conference. I imagined Erik looming over me with his giant metal horn as I somehow tried to make my lumbering, wooden piano keep up with his blistering bari riffs. This piece is the result. The opening begins with the instruments speaking almost as one as they articulate a soft, but rhythmically active melody. The initial drive never leaves, propelling the two instruments to an unforeseen destination before returning, not entirely unscathed, to the work’s opening material. On the softer side was composed in a spirit of fun and collaboration and meant primarily as a vehicle for Erik and I to play some snappy music together. Enjoy.
Please note the Sax version may be performed on either Baritone or Alto sax and the clarinet version on either Bb Clarinet or Bass Clarinet with no alteration to the solo instrument or piano part.
Premiered April 19, 2008 at the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference
Purchase
Performances
March 28, 2015 Hvidsten Recital Hall, Concordia University, Moorehead, MN. Jim Fusik and Karl Larson.
March 25, 2015 On the Softer Side, Anne Nicole Nelson Hall, Minot State University, Minot, ND. Jim Fusik and Karl Larson.
March 4, 2015 On the Softer Side, Ellis Hall, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO. Robert Honstein and Sam Day.
February 22, 2015 Brown Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston, MA. Robert Honstein and David Stevens.
December 10, 2014 On the Softer Side, House Concert, Jamaica Plain, MA. David Stevens, Boston Young Composers Ensemble.
February 23, 2013 Wine Recital Hall, Manchester University, North Manchester, IN. Robert Honstein and Michael McConnell.
November 9, 2011 Toledo, OH. Color Field Ensemble.
October 4, 2009 On the Softer Side for Piano and Baritone Sax, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA. Erik Steighner, Saxophone
April 19, 2008 University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. Erik Steighner and Robert Honstein, North American Saxophone Alliance Conference.