Canfield: Concerto after Tchaikovsky for Soprano Saxophone or Clarinet and Piano

Concerto after Tchaikovsky is cast in the traditional three movements, and is very loosely modeled on Tchaikovsky’s much-loved violin concerto. Consequently, there is a cadenza in the first movement before the recapitulation, akin to that in the violin concerto. The listener will also note figuration drawn from the final movement of that work, but the movement also captures the spirit of the “Trepak” in the Nutcracker Ballet. The centerpiece of the concerto is a gentle slow movement. Throughout the work, Canfield sought to evoke the spirit of Tchaikovsky through melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and orchestrational means. While there are no deliberate quotes from any of Tchaikovsky’s music, some of the gestures are likely to be found somewhere in his voluminous output. Recognizing that, as in other works in his “after” series, some of his own fingerprints showed up in the work, Canfield made no effort to suppress any vestiges of his own style. The duration of the concerto is approximately 20 minutes.

The edition listed here is a piano reduction of the full orchestral accompaniment. The edition with orchestra (JP6033) is also available.

Audio samples from Canfield: Concerto after Tchaikovsky (version with soprano saxophone/orchestra)



This work has been recorded on Toccata Classics (TOCC 0346). The complete concerto with orchestra may be heard online at the following link:
Canfield: Concerto after Tchaikovsky


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