Lento Ad Astra ensemble recorded the album Made in SK, featuring interpretations of compositions for saxophone by Slovak composers.

It includes pieces commissioned by the ensemble from Viliam Gräffinger: Danza, Ľuboš Bernáth: Partita for Baritone Saxophone and Piano (inspired by French impressionist music), and Egon Krák: Carnivore II, A Piece for Baritone Sax and Recording.

As 2023 marks a memorial year for Eugen Suchoň, the ensemble also recorded a transcription of his Little Suite with Passacaglia, Op. 3 (adapted for alto saxophone and piano by Viliam Gräffinger).

The album also features the solo piano composition Metamorphosis No. 4, Larghetto.

Interpreting Slovak music was a great challenge for us, but above all a pleasure…. We thank our composer friends for their compositions and support, and Master Suchoň for his legacy to future generations.

Zita Sopková, Erik Rothenstein

A classical music concert dedicated to the fusion of opera with singer Karol Csino and the Lento Ad Astra ensemble (Zita Sopková – piano, Erik Rothenstein – saxophone).

In this unconventional combination, compositions from world opera literature, adapted for this ensemble, will be performed alongside instrumental works by Slovak composers commissioned specifically by the Lento Ad Astra group.

The project is supported by public sources from the Fund for the Support of Arts (Fond na podporu umenia).

Playing „Šach“ with Mr. Bach

We attempted to create something worthy of one of the greatest composers of European music, inspired by his motifs, while reflecting contemporary times through our own perspectives and views. We commissioned three contemporary composers to write pieces whose central theme would be the legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach. They were given complete creative freedom to decide whether to adapt an entire composition for our ensemble, incorporate specific motifs, or compose entirely new works. We placed particular emphasis on the baritone saxophone, for which there are relatively few works even in the global saxophone repertoire. We also invited guests: singer Eva Šušková and cellist Boris Boha. The result is a program through which we seek to convey the legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach.

FRENCH IMPRESSIONS

The project’s dramaturgy reflects the fact that the saxophone was invented in mid-19th century Belgium and first found use in France. Among its supporters was Claude Debussy, for example. The ensemble seeks to reflect France’s role as the cradle of classical saxophone by including French Impressions from significant French composers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in its program. Original compositions by contemporary Slovak composers also take this into account and were written to fit seamlessly into this project. Lento Ad Astra aims to bring a fresh perspective on interpretation, selection, and subsequent processing of the repertoire. Through arrangements and collaborations with guests, a new approach to this literature emerges, characterizing the ensemble’s artistic stance.

CHILDREN SONGS AND workshopS

We also create programs for the youngest children in kindergartens. In a playful way, it interactively involves them in the musical process and introduces them to various wind instruments and songs with piano accompaniment. At workshops for art schools, it presents the teaching concept from Erik Rothenstein’s textbook Progressive Saxophone Playing School and performs pieces from the saxophone anthology Children’s Songs, which features contributions from several Slovak composers. For older children and more advanced musicians, the workshops explain various music styles, their interpretation, and showcase compositions from world literature as well as works by Slovak composers.

Interview recording link (Ars Musica)

04 December 2013

About recent albums of Slovak musicians with guests – Erik Rothenstein,, V. Gräffinger and P. Hammel