Vegard Landaas (alto saxophone) & Tom Ottar Andreassen (flute), Rather than being constructed from a limited amount of material like the other two works on the recording, this concerto for saxophone and orchestra is characterized by active melodic lines. A weave of melodic garlands forms an undulating soundscape reminiscent of the changing nature of the ocean, from storm to dead calm., The word “aggregate” also explains how the energy is built up, by storing and layering energy-filled musical events. In this work these are first and foremost compact figures consisting of only a few notes. An “aggregate” is the specific reservoir of notes from which a composer constructs a passage of music, before the notes have been distributed throughout the ensemble. In this particular piece we can observe how the musical gestures emanate from the aggregates and are drawn back again to these musical points of gravitation., Traditionally a concerto is based on contrasts between a virtuosic soloist and a supporting ensemble, however in Slettholm’s work the solo instrument is used very sparingly as searching phrases are constructed over single notes
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Christian Eggen
