“This was a virtuosic performance by guest soloist Tim McAllister for whom it was written and whom Adams introduced as ‘the best saxophone player in the world today.’ Its angular, leaping melodic outbursts form a contrast to the other pieces on the program, but there are no extended techniques required, just amazing agility in the natural range of the instrument. Its two movements rely on tight rhythmic precision as it proceeds resolutely onwards through a myriad of polyrhythms, its jazz...

Heather Morris Santa Cruz Sentinel (Aug. 2014)

“Top Classical Saxophone Recordings - Timothy McAllister (Scena and Visions)”

Mark Stryker Detroit Free Press, October 2000

“Dudamel led a bracing, propulsive performance with instrumental lines clear even in Adams’ most riotous contrapuntal moments. The L.A. Phil members covered themselves in glory with outstanding contributions…especially, Timothy McAllister’s evocative and bravura alto sax playing.”

Lawrence A. Johnson The Classical Review

“Timothy McAllister and Kathryn Goodson attain sparkling heights on In Transit, a recording of saxophone and piano pieces. The range of style is broad. Etezady’s Streetlegal, commissioned by the duo, is a pleasingly violent, bravura flourish of an opening. Albright’s Sonata is gripping, deftly binding sections of scintillating textures with more melodically based passages. The roles of alto saxophone and piano are fluid and intimately interactive, forming a strong partnership. The second...

American Record Guide

“Adams, a long-standing jazz fan, writes expertly for the instrument. And the soloist Timothy McAllister makes an excellent advocate…we hear plenty of seductive sounds, with subtle echoes of composers including Debussy and Holst. The effect is atmospheric, and it’s hard not to be carried along by the work’s vigour, fearlessly embraced by McAllister and the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop.”

Hannah Nepil Financial Times (UK) (9/7/14)

“Timothy McAllister is one of the best soprano players I have ever heard. The way he performs my Garden of Love, with such ease, even in the high registers, is simply stunning: a breathtaking polished tone, combined with brilliant singing vibrato, and this typical American swing, what more could a composer want…Chapeau!”

Jacob ter Veldhuis Celebrated Dutch Avant-Pop composer

“The [Cabrillo Festival Opening] concert’s highlight concluded its first half: Jennifer Higdon’s Soprano Sax Concerto…and it was superbly realized by soloist Timothy McAllister…This work is a significant testament to beauty.”

Jeff Dunn San Francisco Classical Voice

Pierre Jalbert

Saxophone Concerto (2024)
Pierre Jalbert (b. 1967)
I. Luna Nova
II. Speed of Light
Duration: 18 minutes

Written for Timothy McAllister and scored for solo alto saxophone, with an ensemble of orchestral winds (woodwinds and brass) plus percussion and piano. The opening movement, marked “Gently, with a sense of pulse”, explores the saxophone’s lyrical and expressive qualities as the ensemble creates slowly-changing, pulsating harmonies, over which the saxophone plays long, lyrical lines. The second movement, marked “With great energy”, contains frenetic, pulse-oriented music and features the saxophone’s virtuosic possibilities. Eventually, the ensemble gives way to the soloist’s slowly evolving cadenza. As the movement titles suggest, the music was inspired by the phases of the moon and the vastness of space. - Pierre Jalbert

Earning widespread notice for his richly colored and superbly crafted scores, Pierre Jalbert has developed a musical language that is engaging, expressive, and “immediately captures one’s attention with its strong gesture and vitality” (American Academy of Arts and Letters). Among his many honors are the Rome Prize, the BBC Masterprize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Stoeger Award, given biennially “in recognition of significant contributions to the chamber music repertory.” He has drawn inspiration from a variety of sources, from plainchant melodies to the natural world. Recent album releases include his Violin Concerto (2019), String Theory (2021), and Air in Motion (2022), which features the Escher String Quartet and Carol Wincenc.
Jalbert is Professor of Music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston, where he has taught since 1996. His music is published by Schott Music.

More information at Pierre Jalbert’s website HERE.

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