Sounds of the sax
BY COLIN KHOOIN the coming week, Malaysians will get the chance to watch Kenneth Tse, a “young virtuoso” of the saxophone (as he was called in the New York Times) perform in Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu.
As most people are familiar with the sound of the saxophone only through jazz, blues and pop music, Tse (pic) aims to educate the public on the beauty and versatility of this instrument in classical repertoires. Besides performing, he is also a professor of saxophone at the University of Iowa in the United States.
“When I joined the school band, I fell in love with the instrument because of the voice-like quality of its sound. I played in the band most of my younger days and was exposed to wonderful classical music,” says Tse, who was born in Hong Kong but currently resides in America.
The standard of classical saxophone performances has risen by leaps and bounds in the last 15 years, he observes. Thus, its repertoire is far from limited.
Tse has the honour of having several works dedicated to him. They include saxophone concertos, sonatas, solo works and chamber music – by American composers John Cheetham (known for his music for brass),David DeBoor Canfield and Leonard Mark Lewis.
According to French saxophone maestro Jean-Marie Londeix, Tse’s handling of the instrument demonstrates “quality of tone, perfect tuning and musical intelligence.”
He has released four commercial solo CD recordings and is planning a soprano saxophone recording, as well as a recording with bassoon and piano.
Sparkling Sax, his debut release (under Crystal Records), includes works by Bernstein, Heiden, Jindrich Feld and Morosco’s Blue Caprice. His second is a collection of sonatas written by Maslanka, Worley, Rueff and Saint-Saens.
Music critic Paul Wagner has this to say: “Tse has established himself as an outstanding saxophone artist. His control over the instrument is incredible, allowing material that seems impossible to sound like child’s play.”
In the course of his career as a performer, Tse has often been associated with Czech composer Jindrich Feld, whose music has become his specialty. “To me, his music is the bridge between classical tonal music and contemporary art music. They are avant-garde but not inaccessible, complex yet understandable,” says Tse.
Teaching plays a very important part in this young man’s life. “Performance and teaching are inseparable for me. Teaching allows me to work with so many fantastic artist-teachers. My duties include giving private lessons to undergraduate and graduate saxophone majors, holding master classes, coaching saxophone quartets, conducting the saxophone ensemble, teaching a graduate literature and pedagogy class in the fall, and performing as much as possible.”
On June 29, 7.30pm, he will perform at the Mini Theatre, Sabah Trade Centre in Kota Kinabalu. For tickets, please call the Orangutan Music Company at 088-267037.
Tse’s show in Kuala Lumpur is scheduled for July 3, 7pm, at Manhattan Hall, Level 14, Berjaya Times Square. Tickets at R10. He will hold a workshop at 3pm on the same day, at the same Square. For details, call Yamaha at 03-78030900, ext 215.
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