The pieces on this CD (About Luis de Pablo) were gathered in honor of the Bilbao-based composer, who is the president of the Sax-Ensemble Foundation. As an homage to
de Pablo's role both as an advocate for saxophone music and as a composer who writes frequently for the instrument, the CD contains three of his works and three works other composers wrote for the Grupo Sax-Ensemble. Each of the pieces is intriguing, but
de Pablo's stand out for their strongly idiomatic but creative writing for the ensemble and for their sly wit. His three-movement Rumia for saxophone quartet is a model of musically inventive humor at its most sophisticated. The three works by other composers, and one of
de Pablo's, are scored for saxophone quartet, piano, and percussion. Franco Donatoni's Rasch II exploits standard jazz-inflected saxophone conventions as part of a structurally sophisticated piece. Sofia Gubaidulina's In Erwartung, which uses six percussionists, is the most timbrally and musically diverse work, cleverly blending the percussive key slaps of the saxophones with the percussion ensemble. Grupo Sax-Ensemble, conducted by Francisco Martínez, and assisted by supporting instrumentalists, gives nuanced and lively performances. The sound quality is clear, present, and atmospheric. The CD should be of interest to any fans of new music for saxophones or new music in general.