Huw Wiggin, the saxophonist on this album, won First Prize and Gold Medal and was named 'Commonwealth Musician of the Year' at the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition in 2014.
Album & Artwork
This album, titled "Rhapsody," features a collection of original and commissioned works for saxophone and piano, inspired by Debussy's Rhapsody.
Composition History
Claude Debussy's Rapsodie for orchestra and saxophone was commissioned in 1901 by Elise Hall, a wealthy American musician and patron of the arts, who took up the saxophone due to a lack of repertoire.
Recording & Production
The album is a collaboration between saxophonist Huw Wiggin and pianist Noriko Ogawa, who decided to record together after meeting during a tour in Hong Kong in 2018.
Performer Biography
Noriko Ogawa, the pianist, has a prolific catalogue of over 35 albums from BIS Records and is the Chairperson of the Jury for the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Commissioning new music was very important to both Huw Wiggin and Noriko Ogawa for this album, leading them to select composers like Joseph Phibbs, Iain Farrington, and Jenni Watson.
Composer Biography
Claude Debussy, a French composer, struggled to complete his Rapsodie for Elise Hall, likening her to the Commendatore in Mozart's Don Giovanni and calling her an 'old bat who dresses like an umbrella'.
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