Elements Huw Wiggin & Oliver Wass

• François Couperin (1668 - 1733): Le Rossignol en amour:
• 1 Couperin: Le Rossignol en amour: Le Rossignol en amour (Arr. for Soprano Saxophone & Harp by O. Wass & H. Wiggin) 03:26
• Charlotte Harding (b. 1989): Euphotic:
• 2 Harding: Euphotic 05:19
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Aria mit vershiedenen Veränderungen, BWV 988:
• 3 Bach: Aria mit vershiedenen Veränderungen, BWV 988: Aria (e after i) [Arr. for Soprano Saxophone & Harp by O. Wass] 02:17
• Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695): Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act III:
• 4 Purcell: Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act III: Lament. When I am laid in Earth (Arr. for Soprano Saxophone, Harp & Cello by O. Wass & H. Wiggin) 03:41
• Yshani Perinpanayagam (b.1983): The Weary Soil and the Greedy Shoot:
• 5 Perinpanayagam: The Weary Soil and the Greedy Shoot 04:19
• Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741): The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 1 in E Major "Spring", RV 269:
• 6 Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 1 in E Major "Spring", RV 269: II. Largo (Transc. for Soprano Saxophone, Harp & Cello by B. Dewagtere) 02:44
• David Wallace (b. 1982): blowing A gale:
• 7 Wallace: blowing A gale 04:36
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068:
• 8 Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068: II. Air (Arr. for Soprano Saxophone & Harp by I. Farrington) 04:34
• Simon Rowland-Jones (b. 1950): Silent Air:
• 9 Rowland-Jones: Silent Air 05:27
• Johann Sebastian Bach: French Suite No. 3 in B Minor for Solo Harp, BWV 814:
• 10 Bach: French Suite No. 3 in B Minor for Solo Harp, BWV 814: III. Sarabande (Arr. for Harp by O. Wass) 02:06
• Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713): La Follia, Op. 5 No. 12 (Arr. for Soprano Saxophone, Harp & Cello by O. Wass & H. Wiggin):
• 11 Corelli: La Follia, Op. 5 No. 12 (Arr. for Soprano Saxophone, Harp & Cello by O. Wass & H. Wiggin) 07:24
• Laura Bowler (b. 1986): Caesium:
• 12 Bowler: Caesium 06:18
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Two part invention in F Major, No. 8, BWV 779 (Arr. for Soprano Saxophone & Harp by O. Wass):
• 13 Bach: Two part invention in F Major, No. 8, BWV 779 (Arr. for Soprano Saxophone & Harp by O. Wass) 01:04
• Andy Scott (b. 1966): Sussurros Brasileiros:
• 14 Scott: Sussurros Brasileiros 03:51
• Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata No. 4 in F Major:
• 15 Corelli: Sonata No. 4 in F Major: IV. Allegro (Arr. for Soprano Saxophone, Harp & Cello by O. Wass & H. Wiggin) 02:25
• Laura Bowler: With You:
• 16 Bowler: With You 05:32
• Total Runtime 01:05:03

Info for Elements

Elements explores the distinctive sound world of saxophone and harp in a program that moves between Baroque masterworks and newly commissioned music inspired by the four classical elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Performed by saxophonist Huw Wiggin and harpist Oliver Wass, the album places Bach, Purcell, Vivaldi and Couperin alongside contemporary works written specially for the duo. Each commission reflects a different elemental idea, from the luminous textures of Charlotte Harding's Euphotic to the volatile energy of Laura Bowler's Caesium and the wind-driven virtuosity of David Wallace's blowing A gale. Interwoven throughout are inventive arrangements of Baroque works, drawing subtle connections across centuries. The pairing of saxophone and harp creates a sound palette that is intimate and richly coloured, capable of lyric stillness and brilliant display. Praised for his "liquid gold tones" by The Times, Wiggin joins forces with leading harpist Oliver Wass in a programme that moves between reflection, drama and radiant beauty.

Huw Wiggin, saxophone
Oliver Wass, harp
Leander Kippenberg, cello

Huw Wiggin
is a British saxophonist who has performed at major venues worldwide, including the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, Wigmore Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall. Following his debut at the Purcell Room, The Times praised his “liquid gold tones and enviable breath control.”

He was awarded First Prize and Gold Medal at the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition, where he was also named ‘Commonwealth Musician of the Year’. Since then, he has established a distinguished career as both soloist and chamber musician.

His debut recording Reflections (Orchid Classics), with pianist John Lenehan, reached No. 2 in the UK Specialist Classical Chart, followed by Rhapsody (2023) with pianist Noriko Ogawa. His latest album, Elements (2026), is a collaboration with harpist Oliver Wass, featuring six new commissions alongside Baroque works for saxophone and harp.

A committed advocate for new music, he has commissioned leading composers including Joseph Phibbs, Laura Bowler, Charlotte Harding, Yshani Perinpanayagam, Andy Scott, David Wallace, and Simon Rowland-Jones, among others. Recent collaborations include performances with St Martin’s Voices and pianist Oxana Shevchenko, further expanding his work across diverse chamber music contexts.

He is a member of the Ferio Saxophone Quartet, with whom he has recorded extensively for Chandos Records, and also performs regularly in duo with Oliver Wass.

Wiggin is Professor of Saxophone at the Royal Academy of Music and appears frequently as a guest tutor at conservatoires in the UK and abroad. In April 2026, he was awarded an Honorary ARAM by the Royal Academy of Music. He is endorsed by Selmer and Vandoren Paris.

Having grown up near the river into a rowing family, he is a keen sportsman and keeps fit alongside his music making.

Oliver Wass
He has won the Suoni d’Arpa International Competition in Italy, the International Harp Competition of Slovenia, and the Jury Prize at the International Harp Competition in Szeged, Hungary. In May 2016 he became the first harpist ever to win the Guildhall Gold Medal – the Guildhall’s most prestigious prize.

He has performed every major harp concerto, including Lyra Angelica with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto with The Mozartists at the Wigmore Hall, the Debussy Danses with 12 Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall, and he has directed the Handel Harp Concerto in the Barbican Hall.

He plays both modern and early harps, and has performed the Handel Harp Concerto with the English Concert at the Wigmore Hall on the triple harp, as well as touring to New York’s Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, and Salzberg Mozarteum.

Playing with “verve and polish” (The Times), his flute-viola-harp trio, The Pelléas Ensemble, won the Royal Philarmonic Society Henderson Award and the Elias Fawcett Award for Outstanding Chamber Ensemble at the Royal Overseas League competition. They have also won both the Grand Prize and the Audience Prize in the St Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Music Competition.

Oliver holds a First Class Masters Degree from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he studied with Imogen Barford. He graduated from the University of York with a First Class Honours degree in Chemistry.

Despite having spent his teenage years making fireworks in his parents’ basement, he still remarkably has all of his fingers.

Leander Kippenberg
...loves to maintain a versatile artistic profile! Chamber music, solo performances, and collaborations with professional orchestras and ensembles—such as the Stegreif Orchester Berlin and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen—represent just a few of his engagements within the music world. Since 2020, Leander has also been active as a conductor. Leander Kippenberg has already performed numerous concerts as both a soloist and a chamber musician across Europe, appearing in renowned concert halls such as the Tonhalle Zürich, the Sendesaal and Die Glocke in Bremen, St John’s Smith Square in London, and the Barbican Hall. At the age of just 15, he began his studies in the masterclass of Professor Michael Sanderling at the University of Music and Performing Arts Frankfurt. At age 20, he transferred—on a full scholarship—to the class of Professor Louise Hopkins at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. After completing his Master’s degree there with distinction, he successfully auditioned in the spring of 2017 for a position as an Academy Fellow with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Over a two-year period, alongside participating in numerous orchestral projects and worldwide concert tours, he completed a comprehensive training curriculum there that encompassed both musical and non-musical disciplines. His regular participation in prestigious music festivals—such as the Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove (Cornwall), the Youth Classics International Music Festival, and the Virtuoso et Belcanto Festival in Lucca—has served as a source of inspiration and provided him with the opportunity to collaborate with renowned musical figures such as Gary Hoffmann, Adrian Brendel, Erich Höbarth, Valentin Erben, Ralph and Marc Gothoni, and Thomas Adès. In addition to his work as a cellist, Leander is also active as a conductor—serving as the founder and director of the string orchestra "Strings Unlimited Bremen"—and is a passionate advocate for cultural diversity in Bremen.

Booklet for Elements