Jonathan Russell

Composer, Clarinetist, Bass Clarinetist

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Supra: saxophone choir version

September 29, 2014 By

(2013)

Instr:
1 sop. sax, 4 alto saxes, 2 tenor saxes, 1 bari. sax, 1 bass sax (or bari. sax 2)
Duration:
10:00
Premier:
Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey Saxophone Choir on February 1, 2015
Alternate Versions:
Low Saxophone Version, Bass Clarinet Nonet Version, Bb Clarinet and Bass Clarinet Version
Purchase:
Buy the Sheet Music

Supra is inspired by the folk music of the Republic of Georgia. In fall 2011, I started singing in a Georgian choir, and became increasingly fascinated by Georgian music and culture. A Supra is a traditional Georgian feast, used to celebrate a wide variety of occasions, from birthdays to weddings to holidays, featuring a constant flow of food and alcohol, impassioned toasts, stories, jokes, prayers, singing, and dancing. This composition draws on the harmonies and nuances of Georgian music, filtered through my own influences from minimalism, klezmer and impressionism, to create a narrative loosely based on a supra feast. Beginning with the sunrise and a morning chorale, it proceeds through a prayer, feverish preparations for the dinner, feasting, dancing, and finally a triumphant return of the opening chorale, which gradually fades and melts back into the evening.

supra-saxophone-version