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1st Movement: Earth.
The baritone sax takes the main voice in this movement, a hymn to the ageless earth. It is a piece of layered parts, reflecting the layers of soil and rock on which our little lives are built.
2nd Movement: Air
This is a showcase for the soprano sax, and the mood is light and joyful. There is very little time to stop and rest, as the music is buffetted around rather like a leaf on the wind.
3rd Movement: Water
It's the tenor saxophone's turn now to shine, in the second of the slow movements. The mood is tender, with the strings evoking the gentle rocking of the waves, and the movement as a whole is an expression of the soothing and maternal nature of water, rather than the fearsome storms on the sea.
4th Movement: Fire
The shortest of the movements, Fire gives the alto sax room to express itself. The movement is insistent and full of movement, from it's first rumblings (as a tiny flame takes hold) through it's climactic middle section, from which it dies away, reflecting again on the quieter subject it opens with. A final burst of energy brings the piece to it's conclusion.
The Concertino for Saxophones and Strings, subtitled The Four Elements, is a work
in four movements. In each of the movements, one of the saxophones of the quartet
takes a more prominent role. The movements are slow-
