Solo Alto Saxophone and Piano Accompaniment
Difficulty: Advanced
Duration: 7:20
This work is more than just a fantasy piece, and it is not a strict, “Theme and Variation” work; however, the central idea that this piece revolves around is a five-note motive. This motive changes pitches, rhythm, mood, and style throughout the piece.
The saxophone begins with an opening cadenza and this section should be thought of as a soliloquy of sorts.
There are many different sections of the piece, and many different styles are used. Just as one would turn or shift a kaleidoscope, a different world of color and beauty pours forth from each section. The shifts in mood always contain the common tie of the repeated motive, which is introduced in its entirety at measure 8. (D-G-C-F-D) Just as a kaleidoscope would alter an image or shape by its mirrors, the motive is turned upside-down, inverted, and distorted. However a fractured kaleidoscope distorts an image further. Reflecting this – the motive is altered, shattered, and spliced back together hence redefining the character of the motive within the context of the piece. This fractured kaleidoscope then has the ability to take an image and distort it beyond what a normal mirror could.
An example of this can be seen in the ending section of the piece (m. 144). Here, the saxophone wafts in and out of the progression set up by the piano; however, the changes among the progression are not sudden. Between each old pattern and each new pattern in the piano part there are many notes in common, and in some cases, only one note changes. The tonality is changed, but only through a very small alteration. This is an example of the constantly turning kaleidoscope, morphing the melody into different key centers and directions, yet it is all done very gently.