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16 July 2010
Piano, sax duo strike chord
The saxophone is a relatively recent instrument. Developed by Belgian Adolphe Sax in 1844, little classical music has been composed for solo performance, most of that by French composers.
Throughout the 20th century the saxophone became an established instrument of jazz and dance bands. Niels Bijl and New Zealand pianist Diedre Irons are artists with international reputations, and they combined well in a performance of kaleidoscopic nature.
Bijl retained mastery of an instrument that easily becomes wayward with a coarse tone. Irons is an accomplished pianist and provided a vigorous and secure accompaniment, her solo of Ravel's Pavane played with clarity and attention to detail. Bijl was at his best in Schubert's Arpeggione sonata and Schumann's Adagio op. 70 – his performance here was notable for its quality and evenness of tone, allowing the structure of composition to emerge.
AXE by New Zealand-born composer Michael Jamieson and Contrandanza by Paquito D'Rivera were written for saxophone, and enabled Bijl to play with more abandon. The programme would have benefited from more of this.
The recital was fleshed out by transcriptions of well-known pieces by Russian and French composers, a liquid and romantic tone appropriately achieved. An encore, Casals' Song of the Birds, was very poignant and well received by the large audience. Bijl engaged well with his audience, his anecdotes about the history of the saxophone both helpful and amusing. This was an interesting and illuminating recital.
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