ABC Broadcast of the Australian Premiere of my Saxophone Concerto, Tracks in the Orbit, with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, soloist Jabra Latham and TSO principal conductor Eivind Aadland.
This has been a significant large work for me, focusing my instrumental thinking for large orchestral forces . The concerto plays with the intersection of my musical imagination and jazz. It traverses jazz and contemporary music aesthetics, blending moments of improvisation, a freedom of interpretation and fidelity to compositional intention. It is going to be a deeply human and uplifting musical experience.
The world premiere took place in April in Cardiff with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, soloist Iain Ballamy and conductor Fiona Monbet. Following this performance the concerto can be heard again later in 2023 in performance by the Brittany Symphony Orchestra.
Tracks in the Orbit, Saxophone Concerto was commissioned by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra with the philanthropic support of private donors.
REVIEWS
The enthusiastic audience response to the work, including a bow from the composer, turned to a full standing ovation" - Peter Donnelly
"WOW! What a goosebumpy, spine-tingling, viscerally buzzing evening at the TSO!" The Mercury/Lisa Gershwin (great niece of composer George Gershwin)
"In three movements entitled respectively Mill, Devotional and Whirlpool, Styles had fashioned a work indulging all of Ballamy’s laidback virtuosity, improvisatory instincts and his characteristic tone, velvet but edgy when needed." The Guardian
"The beautiful opening of the second movement, with the soloist flowing and improvisatory against the drone of quiet sustained strings, was supported by Styles’s masterly control and Ballamy’s unshakeable poise in front of large forces ever likely to unleash their power but mostly holding its excesses in reserve." Welsh Arts Review
“Whether angular rhythmic phrases echoed by the orchestra, elegant, bitter sweet lines against atmospheric textures, or dense, dissonant maelstrom, each movement had a recognizably Ballamy-esque character alongside the twists and demands Styles placed on the orchestra. This first account of Styles’ composition was absorbing, a piece with which the whole ensemble will be even more at home with repeated performances.
National Orchestra Wales’ CoLaboratory certainly scored a hit with this genre-hopping programme and performance.” London Jazz News