In the 1840s, Adolphe Saxe, a Belgian instrument maker, invented an instrument with the flexibility of the strings, the power of the brass and the variety of tone quality of the woodwinds. Quickly adopted by military bands, the saxophone found slower acceptance in symphony orchestras.
Although in 20th-century America the sax became a leading voice in jazz bands, Sigurd Rascher, the finest classical saxophonist of the time, dubbed it "the orphan among musical instruments."
An orphan no more, the concert saxophone has come into its own. Next Tuesday at Academy Village, the Rodriguez & Keepe Duo featuring pianist Allen Rodriguez and Michael Keepe on saxophone will play a program of classical saxophone music showcasing the instrument's expressive power and tonal beauty.
The concert, free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Great Room of the Arizona Senior Academy at Academy Village, an active-adult community off Old Spanish Trail six miles southeast of Saguaro National Park East.
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Keepe, a doctoral candidate in saxophone performance at the University of Arizona, is well known in the Tucson musical community as a teacher as well as a performer with the opera, symphony, and the internationally acclaimed Presidio Saxophone Quartet. He studied piano with Rodriguez, an accomplished soloist and teacher in his own right who has a master's degree in piano performance from the UA. The two became a musical team in 1992.
Historically, the concert hall was slow to welcome the classical saxophone, although composers quickly recognized its potential. An early piece in the duo's eclectic repertoire is Jules Demersseman's romantic "Fantaisie" for alto sax and piano, written in 1860.
The hauntingly beautiful "Sonata in C#" (1942), an impressionistic work by Fernande Decruck, exemplifies Keepe's passion for discovering and celebrating the rich and little-known heritage of the concert sax repertoire.
"We're still surprising people with the instrument," Keepe said. "There's a lot more serious music being written for it. Composers are attracted to the sax because it is so flexible and capable of changing the color of sound. I believe the concert saxophone is entering its golden age."
If you go
• What: Concert by the Rodriguez & Keepe Duo
• When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
• Where: Arizona Senior Academy Building at Academy Village, 13715 E. Langtry Lane
• Cost: Free; contributions accepted
• More information or reservations (suggested, especially for non-residents of Academy Village): Call 647-0980
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