March
04
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Most Magical Night — Original Composition
Here is a video of me playing an original composition called ‘Most Magical Night.’ I made this video a couple of years ago at Galleri 69 in Oslo, Norway. It’s a piece for solo soprano saxophone and sort of an homage to Terry Riley and his minimalist style. The idea for the title came to me as I was walking late one night along a river in the Nydalen neighborhood of Oslo. There was a storm approaching and a positively electric feeling in the air as the wind was picking up and it became clear that something was about to happen. The trees were waving around wildly as if alive and smoke-colored clouds rolled in to cover the starry sky.
In addition to the composed material, there are sections where improvisation is incorporated. At several points a figure is repeated multiple times while the last beat becomes improvised. Then the last two beats, three beats, etc become improvised until it is a completely improvised section. The length of each section is completely up to the performer. I generally stick to 4 times through each figure in this performance but it could easily be much longer or shorter.
The score will be available soon from Dorn Publiscations for anyone who might be interested in viewing and or performing this piece. It could easily be adapted for other instruments and I would love to hear some other interpretations!
andrew d meyer 