Preview: Ferio Saxophone Quartet

On Saturday January 23, the Melrose Music Society will host a concert by the Ferio Saxophone Quartet '“ four passionate proponents of sax quartet music '“ in Melrose Parish Church Hall.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Jan 2016, 10:08 BST
Updated 19th Jan 2016, 11:11 BST

The Ferio was formed by graduates of the Royal College of Music in 2012, and comprises Huw Wiggin, soprano sax, Ellie Mcmurray, alto, José Mañuel Bañuls, tenor and Shevaughan Beere, baritone.

They are being sponsored for their Scotland Tour by the prestigious Tunnell Trust.

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The programme opens with a Prelude in G Minor by J.S. Bach, followed by Guillermo Lago’s ‘Ciudades’ (‘Cities’); musical sketches of cities that inspired the composer who wrote this suite of pieces in 2011.

Next comes ‘Sarajevo’, dedicated to Lago’s many friends in Bosnia and Herzegovina, countries cruelly devastated by civil war in the 1990s, and where the composer was later invited to
 re-establish a saxophone class.

‘Addis Ababa’ is an energetic musical description of the Ethiopian capital where Lago collaborated with the singer, Minyeshu. Glazunov’s Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109, is considered the most important romantic quartet for the instrument, and is followed by Albeniz’s much-loved ‘Cadiz’, arranged by the Ferio Quartet.

The concert continues with ‘Old Hungarian Dances’ by Ferenc Farkas, String Quartet No. 2 by the contemporary composer, Michael Nyman, ‘Fratres’ (‘Brothers’) by the Estonian, Arvo Pärt and ‘Fugata’, with strong Latin American influence,
 by nineteenth century Argentinian composer, Astor Piazzarolla. Jean Rivier’s neo-classical ‘Grave et Presto’ concludes the programme.

The concert starts at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced £12, are available on the door. Entry is free for accompanied children.

See http://melrosemusicsociety.org.uk/ for a full programme of upcoming concerts.