The new Duo Revisited

Website(s) : http://www.alyssamhoffert.com/ / http://www.lichunhsiao.com/ / http://hilarytann.com/

Under the commission of La’Ventus Duo, Hillary Tann revised her Duo for oboe and viola. The new Duo Revisited is a forum for a dialogue between the high and low voices of saxophone.

Biography

From the original chamber group, La’Ventus Quartet, Alyssa Hoffert and Li-Chun Hsiao tried to explore more possibilities of chamber music for saxophones. Named after the original La’Ventus quartet, Ms. Hoffert and Mr. Hsiao are dedicated to combining classical and contemporary, standard and new music to create a unique sound and a fresh perspective with the versatility and flexibility inherent in the saxophone.

More information

Under the commission of La’Ventus Duo (Alyssa Hoffert, soprano sax, Li-Chun Hsiao, baritone sax) in 2014 for the 2015 World Saxophone Congress, Welsh-born composer Hilary Tann revised her work Duo for Oboe and Viola (1981) for La’Ventus Duo. The original Duo was written in 1981 in response to a request from violist David Sills. It is the only piece of Ms. Tann without a title having something to do with nature although natural imagery underlies much of the writing. Featured the soprano sax and baritone sax, the new Duo Revisited is a forum for a dialogue between the high and low voices of saxophone as the composer was fascinated by the idea of a single line being shaped by two similar timbres. The instrumental lines are not set in contrast to each other; rather, they intertwine.

As the highest and lowest voices in a saxophone quartet, the combination of soprano saxophone and baritone saxophone works extremely well, just like the oboe and bassoon duo, even better in timbre matching. With this piece we would like to show how various the sound of saxophone could be.

This would be the world premiere of the piece.