Saxophone Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 109 - Alexander Glazunov
In 1932, the Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, then living in Paris, received a request from Marcel Mule, whose pioneering Quatuor de la Garde Républicaine had begun to explore the possibilities of the saxophone quartet as a legitimate chamber ensemble. Glazunov’s response was the Saxophone Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 109, a work that would mark the beginning of the genre’s serious artistic trajectory. Dedicated to Mule’s quartet and first performed privately in December of that year, the piece represented a breakthrough moment: it gave the saxophone quartet the same level of chamber-music dignity long associated with strings or winds, legitimizing the formation for composers to follow.
Scored for soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones - the instrumentation now considered standard-the quartet unfolds in three movements. The opening Première partie is poised and lyrical, its sonata-like character displaying Glazunov’s signature late-Romantic melodic craft. The second movement, Canzone variée, offers a songful theme and five variations, each shifting the expressive spotlight among the instruments. Here, the richness and homogeneity of the saxophone family are revealed with particular clarity, as Glazunov allows the ensemble to sing with warmth and sustain. The finale provides rhythmic vitality and contrapuntal interplay, weaving the four voices together in an energetic close that recalls the precision of Glazunov’s earlier string quartets.
The Saxophone Quartet holds a special place in history not only for its intrinsic musical quality but also for its catalytic effect on the repertoire. Before 1932, very little chamber music for saxophones existed beyond occasional experiments. After Glazunov, however, a new lineage quickly emerged: works by Gabriel Pierné (1934), Jean Françaix (1935), Eugène Bozza (1938), and Florent Schmitt (1939) all followed, cementing the quartet as a viable chamber formation. This was the revolutionary impact of Glazunov’s contribution: it offered the saxophone a serious and enduring role within the world of classical chamber music.
Even today, the quartet remains a cornerstone of the repertoire. Its combination of refined lyricism, structural clarity, and idiomatic but restrained writing continues to challenge performers not through technical display but through the artistry of balance, blend, and ensemble dialogue. For many, it is the piece that established the saxophone quartet as more than an experiment-an ensemble with its own voice, capable of sustaining a tradition that stretches forward to the present.
(Program note written by Don-Paul Kahl)