The Four Baritones
 from The Netherlands A brand new concept in chamber music: Four Baritone Saxophones! This instrument is finally freed from its limited existence as bass in a 'normal' saxophone quartet and can show everyone it is the most flexible of the saxophones. No surprise that Adolphe Sax invented this instrument first in the saxophone family! The Four Baritones ensemble started 14 years ago when four Dutch friends William Raaijman, Erik Abbink, Ties Mellema and Niels Bijl combined their shared love for this instrument. They played and toured with original repertoire and wild arrangements of Beethoven, Led Zeppelin and others. The ensemble ended when Erik moved to Canada and William sadly passed away way before his time. Recently the quartet has been resurrected with a new concept - the Baritone Institute. Since 2009 this subsonic phenomenon has played in the Netherlands with various combinations of baritone-saxophone-enthusiasts including members of legendary Dutch saxophone Quartets the Aurelia, Amstel, Berlage, Hanumi and the Australian Continuum Quartet. They challenge themselves and their audiences with brand new compositions, arrangements and projects spanning centuries of music history. The World Saxophone Congress 2012 line-up: Niels Bijl, Simon Brew, Hendrik Pellens and Nicholas Russoniello. |
El Cant Dels Ocells - TraditionalThe legendary cellist Pau Casals transformed this "Song of the Birds" from a traditional story about the birth of Christ into the epitome of the Catalonian soul. Arranged/transcribed for four baritone saxophones by Niels Bijl.Resta Immobile - Gioachino RossiniGioachino Rossini was a popular Italian composer best known for opera. The Resta Immobile is from act 3 of Guglielmo Tell (William Tell). Arranged/transcribed for four baritone saxophones by Niels Bijl.The Four Baritones of the Apocalypse - Folkert BuisThis piece, written for The Four Baritones (2009), sprang from the title, which was the first thing the composer thought when hearing the ensemble's name. It illustrates a possible interpretation of the end of time via a number of short scenes from the perspective of the figures of the title.If ye love me - Thomas TallisThomas Tallis was an English composer and this piece dates from the time of King Edward VI. It was originally a choral work with the text based on John 14: 15-17a which begins "If ye love me, keep my commandments... ". Arranged/transcribed for four baritone saxophones by Niels Bijl.Scherzo Humoristique - Sergei ProkofiefProkofief was an early adopter of the potential for the saxophone in classical music, writing beautiful solos within his orchestral pieces such as the ballet Romeo and Juliet. This piece was originally written for four bassoons, but resonates on four baritone saxophones. |
The VIDEOS |
