Luke Henry
"Outer Limits" a saxophone concerto - Premiere
"Outer Limits" a saxophone concerto
Movement 1
Movement 2
Movement 3
Movement 4
Dedicated to Brandon Trent
Brandon Trent, Alto Saxophone Soloist
Nicholas Sienkiewicz, Conductor
Feiyan Yang, Flute
Francisco Vidales, Clarinet
Lauren Hallonquist, Bassoon
Sebastian Sarre, Trumpet
Lawson Quesinberry, Trombone
Will Morgan, Percussion
Peter Kim, Piano
Jasper Rogal, Violin 1
John McCaffrey, Violin 2
Henry Lin, Cello 1
Jack Campbell, Cello 2
John Woodward, Double Bass
Luke Henry, Composer
“Outer Limits” is a saxophone concerto that was written as a part of a collaboration effort between saxophonist Brandon Trent and composer Luke Henry in October of 2020. The title comes from a quote from the composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), who described the saxophone as such: “[The saxophone] cries, it sighs and dreams. It possesses a crescendo and can gradually diminish until it is only an echo of an echo. I know of no other instrument that possesses this particular capacity to reach the outer limits of audible sound.” This concerto was composed not only to push the boundaries of dynamics, but to push the instrument and the instrumentalist to new heights.
In October 2020, Brandon and Luke found themselves in the virtually-taught Music History I class in the midst of the pandemic at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. On one of these class days, Brandon wished aloud to the assistant instructor, Molly Covington, that there was a modern saxophone repertoire that suited his style more properly. Molly casually pointed out that Luke was a composer. Luke was more than happy to write something for Brandon, as Luke had studied saxophone himself for nine years. Brandon’s exact words were: “I’ll play anything you write for me.” With that said, Luke immediately started work on what would become “Outer Limits.”
The concerto is divided into four contrasting movements, each with varying length and no specific title.
The first movement was heavily inspired by the work and teachings of Aaron Travers, whom Luke had studied with as he started this concerto. It begins with short string swells that represent a type of breathing or sighing, which is interrupted by the short intrusions from the soloist. There are five pitches that make up the entire harmonic language of the movement, with the soloist introducing them one by one. As the movement progresses, the concept of breathing combines with the interruptions to crescendo into a mess of sounds before shrinking back into quiet moments. The rest of the movement plays with the five pitches presented with short accompaniment from the ensemble before petering out with a sigh of relief.
The second movement settles into an off-kilter dance that is pinned together by a chromatically descending baseline. The music presents influences from several composers, such as Astor Piazolla and traditional Eastern-European rhythms which help showcase the saxophone’s nimbleness. As Luke was writing this movement, Brandon unfortunately broke his right hand and was unable to play with it. Luke decided to write a left-handed only cadenza to give Brandon something to keep him from getting bored as he healed. This left-handed only cadenza remains in the middle of this movement as a nod to Brandon overcoming his injury. The movement ends as quickly as it begins with a triumphant return to the original melody.
The third movement was written to allow Brandon to showcase his extensive altissimo range. Although it starts quietly, this movement actively shifts into different moods with references to 1920’s Bernard Herman movie scores and Radiohead rhythmic figures. Towards the end of the movement, a melody presents itself that had been haunting Luke for a number of years. He could not quite find a home for it until this project. The end of the movement ends in the stratosphere for the saxophone as it slowly resolves.
The fourth and final movement is a mixture of parody and groove. There are two sections that trade back and forth: one that parodies standard saxophone repertoire and one that fits into a samba-like groove. These two main sections are juxtaposed to create clear and manic musical changes as the concerto begins its final ascent. The music eventually breaks and the ensemble goes back into the accompaniment figure from the first movement while the saxophone violently recaps every single movement in a flurry of notes that seem unrecognizable when played so closely. Afterwards, the music comes to a grinding halt as it slowly resolves to the most stereo-typical new-music cadence for a saxophone concerto: a lydian chord.
For more information,
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