JAMES M. DAVID, composer
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KAFKA - Concerto for Saxophone


Perusal Score: Movement I  Movement III 

Movement I. "The Bucket Rider" (MIDI Demo w/ saxophone solo)
Movement III. "Gregor Samsa" (Live Rehearsal Recording)
Program Notes:

Franz Kafka is without question one of the most fascinating and profound writers of the twentieth century, and, like many before me, his works captivated my attention from a very young age.  The challenge of capturing the elusive nature of Kafka’s stories is at the heart of my new concerto for saxophone.

The work is cast in the typical three movements with each representing a particular character from Kafka’s output. “The Bucket Rider” is depicted as a spacious and lyrical etude that evokes the character’s mysterious ascent into the sky that concludes this story.  The central movement, scored for a trio of saxophone, cello, and an electronic harp, centers around “A Hunger Artist” whose torture is heard in microtonal clouds of distorted sounds.  The final movement is based on Kafka’s most famous character: Gregor Samsa from “The Metamorphosis.”  Here, the transformed man’s psyche is heard through the increasingly chaotic dance rhythms of his new insectile legs.

This composition draws on many seemingly disparate sources, but seeks to create a singular vision of Kafka’s characters.  The “humanity” of the jazz tenor saxophone combined with the clarity of a chamber orchestra and the harsh expansiveness of digital sounds seemed to somehow complement the enigmatic nature of these stories.  It is my hope, then, that the work will be perceived as an unusual but satisfactory solution to an extremely rewarding challenge.

  • Home
  • about
  • wind ensemble
    • Message from Arecibo
    • Flying Jewels
    • Urban Light
    • Troublesome Fire
    • Symphony no. 1
    • Ghosts of the Old Year
    • Call to Commitment
    • With Soul Serene
    • March Tumbao
    • Lookfar
    • Menlo Park, 1879
    • Zephyrus
    • Flexible Instrumentation
    • Heartland Verses
    • Swing Landscape
    • I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold
    • Concerto for Vibraphone
    • The Moorlands
    • Big Four on the River
    • All Dark Is Now No More
    • Temple's Grace
    • From the Shaken Tower
    • Two-Lane Blacktop
    • Sinfonietta no. 3
  • compositions
    • wind ensemble
    • clarinet >
      • all clarinet works
      • clarinet sonata
      • AUTO '66 - Clarinet Concerto
    • saxophone >
      • all saxophone works
      • Saxophone Sonata
      • L'oiseau dans l'espace
      • Saxophone/Percussion Double Quartet
    • trombone >
      • all trombone works
      • Trombone Sonata
      • Five American Dances
      • Song of the Valar
      • Bass Trombone Sonata
      • Partiels 2
      • Garden of the Gods
    • Other Brass Works >
      • Of Unsurpassed Heroes
      • Trumpet Sonata
    • Percussion >
      • The Dandelion
      • NOLA - BELA - SOWEGA
    • large ensemble >
      • Tin Lizzies on Old Fall River
      • LASCAUX
      • KAFKA - Sax Concerto
    • chamber ensemble >
      • Clarinet and Horn Trio
    • solo / electroacoustic
    • choral / vocal >
      • KUBLA KHAN
  • contact
  • Report Performance