Meditative and enjoyable etudes
Christoph Enzel has taken repetition to a new level in his "Mantras" for saxophone. James Rae's practice pieces focus on the musical.
Instrumental technique exercises have a bad reputation - wrongly, in my opinion, because after all they create the necessary foundations and support the acquisition of difficult passages in the repertoire. Etudes for the saxophone are not available in great variety. There is a general lack of etudes for the development of finger skills that also have a musical expression at their core and pursue a compositional idea, as we know it from piano or violin schools, for example. It is therefore no wonder that many pieces from this collection have been transcribed for saxophone. And it is all the more gratifying when new ideas enrich the repertoire.
With his 15 technical studies inspired by minimal music, Christoph Enzel has shown courage for the simple idea of repetition and underpinned it spiritually. His musical mantras are a stimulus to free the process of practicing from its tediousness by helping the seemingly boring movement sequences to flow and making the sacredness of repetition resound far away from any mindless repetition mechanics. This is not so easily accessible to every student and requires pedagogical and methodical sensitivity on the part of the teacher, especially when the exercises in exposed positions pose a technical challenge. As the composer and saxophonist states in the foreword that difficulties in rehearsing a concerto are the starting point for this publication, teachers and pupils could follow this idea and compose their own mantras to suit their individual level. Have fun!
James Rae's booklets have been a permanent fixture in many teaching libraries for years - classical saxophonists in particular appreciate the wealth of pop and jazz-related teaching pieces. His production of countless publications may seem inflationary, as music teachers do not always have an innovative musical impetus with which to incorporate new aspects into their lessons.
Ultimately, however, it is probably the musical nature that is convincing - as in the 18 Concert Etudes for Solo Saxophone. Here, the joy of playing is the order of the day: they alternate between rhythmic, melodic and harmonic solo pieces, which are sure to be well received as performance pieces. Together with the 12 Modern Etudes (UE 18795) and the 20 Modern Studies (UE 18820) these etudes form a popular teaching register.
Christoph Enzel: Saxophone Mantras, 15 Technical Studies for Saxophone, ADV 7158, € 14.95, Advance Music, Mainz 2017
James Rae: 18 Concert Etudes for Solo Saxophone (S, A, T, Bb), UE 21705, € 16.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2017
