Under the Veil

Composer’s note: This was one of my first compositions, written for my sax quartet, “Saxtet”, whilst busking through Germany in the early 90’s. It was originally scored for soprano, baritone and percussion with ample opportunity for improvisation. It has been through several manifestations since then, including an arrangement for clarinet and orchestra performed by BBC 2 Young Musician of the Year, Sally Harrop, and the BBC Concert orchestra.

This was followed by an arrangement for soprano sax and sax choir, premiered by John Harle and Saxophonia in 1995; in a slightly amended form, this arrangement appears regularly in the concert programmes of the National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain. I arranged another version for soprano sax and orchestra in 1997, which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 with soloist Gerard McChrystal and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

‘Veil’ has a universal appeal as it has been well received by audiences in diverse settings – from the concert hall of New Zealand’s International Arts Festival to the longhouses of the Bidayuh tribesman in the jungle of Borneo, but perhaps the performance closest to its Eastern origins was with the Symphony Orchestra in Azerbaijan.

Despite the work’s various metamorphoses, the imagery behind all the arrangements (and that veil!) has remained constant – the charm and mystery of a sultry woman from Eastern climes.

This most recent sax quartet arrangement was written for the album “Bach & Beyond”, recorded by the Paragon Saxophone Quartet.

The E-Edition PDF bundle comes with the following parts:

Standard parts
Soprano Saxophone
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

Optional parts
Percussion 1 – guiro
Percussion 2 – finger cymbals & tam-tam

“Under the Veil” is also available in hard-copy from June Emerson Wind Music.