Solitary Poems for Soprano Saxophone Anders Paulsson

• Fredrik Hogberg (b. 1971): Orphan Elephant:
• 1 Hogberg: Orphan Elephant 02:39
• Steve Dobrogosz (b. 1956): The Gracenotes:
• 2 Dobrogosz: The Gracenotes 02:38
• Victoria Borisova-Ollas (b. 1969): Daybreak on Skeppsholmen:
• 3 Borisova-Ollas: Daybreak on Skeppsholmen 03:05
• Andrea Tarrodi (b. 1981): of days gone by:
• 4 Tarrodi: of days gone by 03:35
• Johan Hammerth (b. 1953): Lontano:
• 5 Hammerth: Lontano 05:04
• Anders Hillborg (b. 1954): Shared Solitude 1:
• 6 Hillborg: Shared Solitude 1 03:21
• Thomas Simaku (b. 1958): Soliloquy VI:
• 7 Simaku: Soliloquy VI 07:58
• Anders Hillborg: Shared Solitude 2:
• 8 Hillborg: Shared Solitude 2 01:30
• Anna-Lena Laurin (b. 1962): Dawn:
• 9 Laurin: Dawn 03:35
• Paula af Malmborg Ward (b. 1962): Growing, coming, filling up:
• 10 Ward: Growing, coming, filling up 04:11
• Bo Hansson (1943 - 2010): Memories:
• 11 Hansson: Memories 04:20
• John Corigliano (b. 1938): And the People Stayed Home:
• 12 Corigliano: And the People Stayed Home 02:39
• Stella Sung (b. 1959): Soliloquy:
• 13 Sung: Soliloquy 03:15
• Ad Wammes (b. 1953): Inspired by Nile Rodgers:
• 14 Wammes: Inspired by Nile Rodgers 01:40
• Ann-Sofi Soderqvist (b. 1956): Solitude:
• 15 Soderqvist: Solitude 03:38
• Bjørn Kruse (b. 1946): amber soliloquy:
• 16 Kruse: amber soliloquy 02:53
• Svante Henryson (b. 1963): Crux:
• 17 Henryson: Crux 03:28
• Anders Nilsson (b. 1954): Splendid Isolation:
• 18 Nilsson: Splendid Isolation 03:43
• Thomas Lindahl (b. 1953): Nattuggla:
• 19 Lindahl: Nattuggla 02:37
• Marie Samuelsson (b. 1956): Piece to Anders from Marie:
• 20 Samuelsson: Piece to Anders from Marie 03:30
• Jorgen Dafgard (b. 1964): Iridescence:
• 21 Dafgard: Iridescence 03:45
• Kjell Perder (b. 1954): How Dare You?:
• 22 Perder: How Dare You? 03:23
• Britta Byström (b. 1977): Later the Same Day:
• 23 Byström: Later the Same Day 08:44
• Total Runtime 01:25:11

Info for Solitary Poems for Soprano Saxophone

The project ‘Solitary Poems for Soprano Saxophone’ is a creative response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequent obliteration of livelihoods for freelance musicians. The 23 world premières presented on this album were all composed specifically for Anders Paulsson so that he and they could keep growing artistically during the pandemic when all concerts and touring came to a standstill, and simultaneously to support the creation of new music for soprano saxophone. Some pieces turned out to be extremely virtuosic while others were more contemplative and lyrical. While the vast majority of the pieces are for solo soprano saxophone, some feature a second instrument, including one that is a dialogue between Paulsson and himself.

Composers from across the world have been given free rein to express musically what the pandemic has meant to them, whether it’s a reflection on solitude or on the imposed standstill, a hope for a better tomorrow, a concern for crucial environmental issues or a sense of wonder at nature. All the pieces also reveal the extraordinary potential of the soprano saxophone as a classical soloist instrument.

Anders Paulsson, saxophone

Anders Paulsson
Since his Carnegie Hall debut in 1992, Anders Paulsson (1961) is widely recognized as one of the finest soprano saxophonists in the world. His musicianship has inspired a succession of over 50 international composers to write solo concertos and chamber music for him.

He has performed in major music centres like Alice Tully Hall in New York, Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall in London, Palau de la Musica in Valencia, Moscow International Performing Arts Centre and Kitakyushu Performing Arts Centre i Japan.In 2012 Anders Paulsson was awarded the Royal Gold Medal Litteris et Artibus for his prominent artistic achievements as soprano saxophonist.

Anders has performed hundreds of concerts as a soloist in 25 countries and released 22 CDs. His pioneering CD recording Swedish Concertos for Soprano Saxophone with music by Anders Eliasson, Rolf Martinsson & Sven-David Sandström has received praise in Gramophone as a real high.

He has performed as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Stockholm, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and St. Petersburg Philharmonic and has collaborated with conductors such as John Storgårds, Lü Jia, Okku Kamu, Eva Ollikainen, Johannes Gustavsson, Fabio Mastrangelo & Lan Shui.

After classical saxophone studies at the Royal College in Stockholm and with Jean-Marie Londeix in France, a Fulbright ITT International Fellowship enabled him to study with Joseph Allard and Bob Mintzer at Manhattan School of Music, New York City. As a composer, Anders Paulsson was awarded “The Golden Clapperboard” for best original film music in 1994 together with Johan Söderqvist.

2013-2014 Anders Paulsson was Composer-in-Residence at the MIAGI Youth Symphony Orchestra in South Africa.

Many of his performances have been broadcast on international television and radio and his recordings have received high acclaim from music critics and audiences worldwide. At the Nobel festivities in 1993 Anders Paulsson performed for Nelson Mandela when he received the Nobel Peace Prize and for the Nobel Prize winners of Medicine in 2003. Anders Paulsson seeks to use music to promote international understanding, peace and biosphere stewardship.

He is the co-founder of Coral Guardians www.coralguardians.org, an organisation that combines music and science to raise awareness about the world’s coral reefs and what is needed to safeguard them for future generations.

A highlight of this endeavor is Anders Paulsson ́s Symphonic composition Kumulipo Reflections= the Coral Symphony World Premiere with Hawai ́i Symphony Orchestra conducted by Grammy winning JoAnn Falletta featuring the Hawaiian Creation Epic Kumulipo performed by Aaron Mahi.

Booklet for Solitary Poems for Soprano Saxophone