So now to the new commissions. First up is Joseph Phibbs (b.1974), with Night Paths (Rhapsody for alto saxophone and piano). Rich sax melodies weave around the piano’s chiming and rippling. The questioning sax becomes slightly more insistent, and then the piano becomes more dominant in response, driving the rhythm forward into a faster section. This conversation continues, with the sax becoming more animated in turn. Then comes a more bluesy, introspective section, with the sax hanging in the air above subtle, dark piano chords, and then a brief virtuosic coda brings things to a rapid conclusion. Wiggin and Ogawa’s exchanges are engaging, once again matching tone and mood beautifully.
Iain Farrington’s (b.1977) Paganini Patterns draws on the familiar and widely explored theme from the 24th Caprice, but rather than going down the variation route he uses elements from the theme as more of an inspiration in this three movement piece for the soprano sax and piano. The opening movement is jauntily playful, with swinging exchanges between the instruments, whilst the middle movement moves into a more sensuous, cabaret-style mood, with hints of the theme in the melodic line and bluesy piano accompaniment. The final movement is a jazzy gallop, with the piano driving the rhythm beneath the freer expression from the sax. This is a joyful addition to the extensive Paganini-inspired catalogue, and a great showpiece for both players here.
Composer Jennifer Watson (b. 1984) is also a fellow saxophonist (performing with the Kaleidoscope Saxophone Quartet) who studied alongside Wiggin at Chetham’s and the RNCM. In Rhapsody on an Echo Chamber, for soprano saxophone and piano, she explores ideas of isolation across three connected movements with captivatingly introspective intensity. So in the first movement, the lyrical, flighty sax rises and falls like a butterfly above the moto perpetuo piano, although there is a sense of confinement, as if the butterfly can’t quite escape. Wiggin demonstrates his athletic articulation well here, before things slow to a more emphatic statement, leading into the second movement, with the saxophone now following the piano’s lead. As the piano relaxes into more lilting triplet figurations, the sax soars gently above, and once again, Wiggin’s smoothness of line is glorious. The piano’s triplets turn to trilling in an attempt to increase the intensity, but this doesn’t fully take hold, with butterfly effects on the sax returning, before the join into the final movement. Repeated piano notes set up a more rhythmically pulsing mood, and now the intensity does build, with the sax exploring both the higher (but never shrill from Wiggin) and lower registers of the instrument, over lush piano textures. Minimalist rippling figures lead to the conclusion, with a wind down to slow chords and a simple sax line, with Wiggin once again effortlessly controlling a long final note. This is the most successful for me of the three commissions, with coherent and developed use of the saxophone’s capabilities.
To end their disc, there is a fun arrangement from Harrington of Franz Liszt’s (1811-1886) Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C sharp minor. In the stately opening, Wiggin immediately injects a cheeky sensuality, with Ogawa gently responding on the piano. Ogawa gives us bell-like filigree as the swirling dance picks up, and then with the shift into the major, they both take off like a bullet. Wiggin’s comic cartoon flourishes are great fun, and both players enjoy the increasing virtuosic requirements, with some incredibly tight, crazy chromatic scales before the final flourish.
