The Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, one of Europe’s leading new music ensembles, will spend three days at Fredonia, giving two performances, teaching saxophone master classes and leading a seminar for student composers during a residency that begins on Feb. 27.
"In October I had the opportunity to hear the Raschèr Quartet in Germany on the occasion of their 50th anniversary concert and they were spectacular,” said Associate Professor Wildy Zumwalt. “We're just thrilled about their upcoming visit.”
The Raschèr Quartet is the longest running saxophone quartet in the world and the repertoire written for them has pushed the boundaries of saxophone technique and artistry while influencing generations of musicians, Dr. Zumwalt explained. All those years of accumulated experience, with different constellations of players, can be heard in their artistry, he added.
Austrian newspaper Wiener Zeitung acclaimed the Raschèr Quartet as the “Uncrowned Kings of the Saxophone.” A critic from Die Welt, the German national newspaper, claimed, “If there were an Olympic discipline for virtuoso wind playing, the Raschèr Quartet would definitely receive a gold medal.”
The quartet has a long and close association with Fredonia, Zumwalt noted. Two of its original members, Linda Bangs (’69) and Bruce Weinberger (’72), are Fredonia graduates.
The quartet’s recital will be given on Thursday, Feb. 27, 5:30 p.m., and the master class on Friday, Feb. 28, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., both in Rosch Recital Hall. The composition seminar will be held on Friday, Feb. 28, from 4:15 to 5:45 p.m., in Mason Hall Room 2019. Solo master classes are scheduled on Saturday, Feb. 29, from 10 a.m. to noon, in Room 1075, Diers Recital Hall and Room 2019, all in Mason Hall.
Concluding the residency will be a concerto with the Fredonia Wind Ensemble, conducted by Professor Paula Holcomb, on Saturday at 8 p.m. in King Concert Hall.
All events are free and open to the public. Additionally, an exhibit featuring archival materials from the Raschèr Collection will be on display in Reed Library during the residency.
The ensemble carries on a tradition established in the 1930s by the pioneer of the classical saxophone and founding member of the quartet, Sigurd Raschèr, who animated many composers to write music especially for him.
Fredonia’s Reed Library is the permanent home of the Sigurd M. Raschèr Collection held in Archives and Special Collections. To learn more about the Raschèr Archive go to https://fredonia.libguides.com/c.php?g=968870&p=7000977
Since its formation in 1969, the quartet has appeared regularly at major concert halls in Europe, Asia and the United States. These venues include Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City; Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.; Opera Bastille, Paris, France; Royal Festival Hall, London, England; Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany; Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, Finland; Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; Musikverein, Vienna, Austria; Tonhalle, Zürich, Switzerland; Parco della Musica, Rome, Italy; Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and National Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan.
The quartet has inspired over 350 composers, such as Aho, Bergman, Denhoff, Firsowa, Halffter, Maros, Rosenblum, Sandström, Terzakis, Wuorinen, Xenakis and Chen Yi, to dedicate music to the quartet.
These composers and others have shared an enthusiasm for the four musicians' unique homogeneous tone quality, virtuosity and dynamic interpretation of new and old music, Zumwalt noted. Regarding their interpretation of Bach, the well-known German musicologist Ulrich Dibelius, wrote, "When the Raschèr Quartet plays Bach, the music takes on a seraphic aura – as if the organ and the string quartet had come together."
Numerous composers have been fascinated with the combination of the Raschèrs and orchestra, which has resulted in more than 40 new works for that combination as well as invitations from prominent orchestras in the United States, Germany, France, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Scotland, Italy, Switzerland, Malaysia, England and Sweden.
In addition to numerous solo recitals and collaborations with many of the world’s leading orchestras, the quartet has performed with many various instrumental and vocal combinations, including Christian Lindberg, The Kroumata Percussion Ensemble, London Voices, West German Radio Choir, RIAS Chamber Choir, Finnish Radio Choir, Belgian Radio Choir, Icelandic National Cathedral Choir and Netherlands Chamber Choir.
Numerous composers such as Luciano Berio, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Bernd Franke, Stefan Thomas, Giya Kancheli, Maricio Kagel and Sofia Gubaibulina have been inspired to contribute works for the Raschèrs in these combinations.
The Raschèr Quartet is a musical democracy. Therefore, in contrast to many other chamber ensembles, the quartet has no leader.
“This will be an unforgettable experience for our students and for the community,” Zumwalt said. “I encourage all music lovers to catch these concerts."
Visit the following online link to read an interview with the Raschèr quartet given by Zumwalt.
