Marilyn Shrude

Saxophone Quartet and Piano

Composer's Note:

"energy unfolds . . ." is a work for saxophone quartet and piano that has as its genesis an earlier piece, "energy flows
nervously . . . in search of stillness" for Saxophone Quartet SATB (2015). When given the opportunity to write for the gifted pianist I-Chen Yeh, I could not decline the invitation. Her elegant and sensitive abilities, as well as her intimate knowledge of the saxophone, would add another dimension to this earlier composition. In quoting myself:

"The piece begins with dense intensity as quietly as possible. The tension gradually increases as the dynamic level rises and eventually reaches fff. At this point, with the harmonic language at its loudest and most dissonant moment, the search for stillness begins and ultimately finds its destination in calmness and silence."

The piece was commissioned by and is dedicated to I-Chen Yeh and the Assembly Saxophone Quartet (Jeff Heisler, Ian Jeffress, Matthew Younglove and Adam Estes). It was premiered on April 1, 2023 at the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi.