dance distant

for alto saxophone & ensemble

dance distant is a short piece for alto saxophone and ensemble arising from contemplations of the work of Franz Kline, specifically the ‘black paintings’ of the 1950s. These are large, powerful gestural abstractions, where Kline’s iterative process of layering black upon white upon black is observable in every work, translating into a tangible sense of structure and authority. 

The soloist operates on an entirely different plane to the ensemble; that is to say, the two parts are completely disconnected (‘distant’) from one another. While the ensemble twists through an abstract wash of sound, the soloist lays down an expressive, gestural flurry of activity onto the sonic canvas; black upon white.

[ A-Sax, AFl., Acc., Vib., Vla. ]