Jean-Baptiste Singelée: Saxophone Concertino, Op. 78 (1861)
Nazaire Beeckman: Élégie for Saxophone and Piano, Op. 14 (1869)
Georges Lonque: Images d'Orient for Saxophone and Piano, Op. 20 (1935)
Marcel Poot: Ballade for Saxophone and Piano (1948)
Jean Absil: Sonata for Saxophone and Piano, Op. 115 (1963)
Piet Swerts: Klonos for Saxophone and Piano (1993)
Michel Lysight: Labyrinthes for Solo Saxophone (1997)
Alain Crépin: Sax in Fire for Saxophone and Piano (2012)
Simon Diricq: L'Effet de Coriolis for Solo Saxophone (2019)

Having just recently reviewed a recording of the Complete Symphonies by Belgian composer Marcel Poot, I stumbled upon this new recording of Belgian Saxophone Music which happens to include a piece by this unjustly overlooked composer. So needless to say that my curiosity was immediately piqued, and rewardingly gratified by this excellent collection of works spanning over 150 years for this unusual "classical" music instrument. And by unusual I simply mean to say that it's rarely used within the context of classical music. Personally I would enjoy hearing more saxophone music by classical composers. It actually sounds like the perfect link between the clarinet and the bassoon, and benefits from a versatility of sound well demonstrated in this varied set of pieces.

Violinist, conductor and composer Jean-Baptiste Singelée was actually a friend of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone patented in 1846. He wrote many pieces for the instrument, and this one has all the finesse and elegance of the classical style whilst demanding accurate and polished delivery from the player. Nazaire Beeckman is known to be the first professor in the history of music to teach the saxophone, and his beautiful Élégie brings the instrument's singing character to the forefront. And as far as the piece by Marcel Poot is concerned, which is what prompted me to listen to this recording in the first place, it combines the perfect balance of melodious phrases and agitated rhythmic activity, with both the sax and the piano complementing each other. Piet Swerts' Klonos for Saxophone and Piano, submitted as an entry in the Adolphe Sax International Music Competition, certainly puts the instrument and the musician through their technical paces and well demonstrates the saxophone's potential.

It's in the Labyrinthes for Solo Saxophone by Michel Lysight that Polish saxophonist Jakub Jarosz displays his masterful control of the instrument's sonic and technical capabilities. And despite being written in 2012, Sax in Fire by Alain Crépin, who is an active force behind the Adolphe Sax International Music Competition, has a rhythmic swagger and bluesy feel more in keeping with the 1940s. What I enjoy the most about this recording is its chronological layout which gradually eases you forward in time and style, and therefore avoids any abrupt or incongruous shifts in sound from one piece to the next.