Search - Pierre Max Dubois, Alexander Glazunov, Jacques Ibert :: Saxophone Concertos

Finally On CD in The States!

Sussex Pond Pudding | Somewhere in the desert, CA | 04/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a delight to find out that this has been issued on CD in the States. I paid quite a bit of money for this on a trip to Europe last year after owning the LP for decades. Rousseau is simply the best classical saxophonist I have ever heard. His is a very human sound, unlike so many others who make the saxophone sound emotionless, flat and horn-like. His Glazunov and his Villa-Lobos are without a doubt the best available. No lover of classical music or the saxophone should be without this wonderful recording of these all too unfamiliar pieces in their collection."

Saxophone on DG

Ralphus | Goyang, Gynggi-Do Korea (South) | 12/19/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not sure, but when this disc (LP) of saxophone concertos performed by the great teacher and performer, Eugene Rousseau, was released on the Deutsche Grammophon label in 1972, it was most probably the first of its kind. Certainly, DG has never since released an album devoted to the instrument and this particular recording has been available on and off ever since.



Since 1972, a large number of similar discs have been released featuring saxophonists as diverse as Claude Delangle, Arno Bornkamp, Nobuya Sugawa, John-Edward Kelly, Pekka Savijoki, Lawrence Gwozdz, Daniel Gremelle, Dominique Tassot, John Harle, Javier Oviedo, Johannes Ernst, Theodore Kerkezos, Detlef Bensmann, even Branford Marsalis, and many more.



In what has become a fairly crowded field, Rousseau's disc stands up pretty well. Personally, I don't think he ever surpassed the quality of this recording on any of his subsequent albums. This remains an important disc for saxophonists to own. Rousseau's Villa-Lobos is possibly the best version recorded even to this day. His Dubois, likewise (though it hasn't been recorded often). The Ibert and Glazunov works are such ubiquitous standards that they appear on ever other saxophone disc, and Rousseau's performances, while not at all bad, don't stand out.



This is a disc that, despite flaws, despite being surpassed in quality by subsequent recordings, belongs in any saxophonist's collection.



"

Classic Rousseau

Carol J. Kramer | Richland Center, WI USA | 11/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rousseau's concerto collection is a definitive example of these classic masterpieces for saxophone. His recordings are all excellent, but this one is a must for any saxophonist interested in the classics."