Jean-Michel Goury & Friends
 from France, Spain, USA, Canada, Germany The Jean-Michel Goury & Friends saxophone ensemble is an international ensemble of former students of the French saxophonist Jean-Michel Goury. For over twenty years, Mr. Goury has welcomed students from around the world to the Boulogne-Billancourt Regional Conservatory just outside of Paris. Inspired directly by the creator of the modern saxophone ensemble, Jean-Marie Londeix, this ensemble is comprised of 12 to 13 musicians for each piece, composed of the entire family of saxophones, from sopranino to bass, with the exception of the contrabass saxophone. This unusual combination is, above all, a musical tool, rich and varied by timbre and sonorous colour, all while remaining a homogenous instrumental ensemble, like the string orchestra. The ensemble allows listeners to discover the entire saxophone family through different musical aesthetics, represented by an abundant repertoire of original works as well as transcriptions. Jean-Michel Goury's former students come from over 15 different countries and have been prize-winners in many international music competitions. Through their teaching engagements, they continue the modern tradition of French saxophone in France and abroad. |
La tentation d'exil - Robert LemayLes accords secrets du Capitaine Nemo - Denis LevaillantFrench composer and pianist Denis Levaillant is one of today's major musical talents. Since 1973 he has managed to develop a personal, highly varied oeuvre, allying the rhythmic energy of jazz an popular music to a new orchestral colour in the French tradition, appealing to all audiences. His ballet, La Petite Danseuse de Degas, commissioned by the Paris Opera, met with great success at the Paris Opera in 2003 and has been revived in 2005 and 2010.Octuor de saxophones - Pedro Garcia ValasquezThe octet is seated, minute scintillations. The tessitura, in pairs, sketches stretching harmonies, the power of crystal and light join forces. But the source quivers already, the glacier of consonance cracks and trembles: a wave is born, tormented an reverberating. The air vibrates and resonates with sonic distortions, the air cries, louder and louder, the ground splits and melts away. A wail. An echo. We are subjected to mirages. Nothing happens, just the key turning in the lock, the hinges turned on themselves, the door half-open upon infinite turbulence. (Alexandre Salcède).Divertimento - Béla Bartòk/arr. Philippe PortejoieI decided to take on the difficult and delicate task of arranging Béla Bartòk's Divertimento simply because the work is stunning. It was instinctive for me that this arrangement be for saxophone ensemble. The execution of the work requires an extreme precision, both in terms of instrumental virtuosity and tuning. I hope enjoy the profound musicality and rhythmic energy that flows from this work. (Philippe Portejoie)Calderosax - Philippe GeissLike a mobile of sculptor Alexander Calder, this work begins with "pieces" of saxophones: mouthpieces, neckpieces ... sounds intersect at random to form an aleatory harmony. The mobile becomes more and more animated - giving way to rhythmic imbrications built from an elaborate exploration of the saxophone's extended techniques. The boundary between written and improvised music is always questioned by the soloist who develops his musical language according to the density of the always-evolving written material. Lastly, the ensemble provides a pyrotechnic finish, overflowing with energy. (Barr, France. April 7, 2012) |
The VIDEOS |
