Modern classical music is truly a severely overlooked sector of the musical landscape that surrounds us. From among stunning acts that keep on releasing seriously good, sensible, and pulling classically inspired compositions, like Bremer/McCoy and Matthew Halsall and his Gondwana Orchestra, we introduce to you today another pair of sublime musicians, Ian Jamison and Jim Klein, and their newest release, a collection of sonatas composed for the alto saxophone and the piano.
Based partly in Colorado and Arizona, the duo’s latest release is a pair of sonatas, each cut into 3 movements, and each loaded with its own twists, turns, and melodic and harmonic adventures, but both intricate, immersive, and performed with exceeding elegance by Andrew Dahlke and Juhyun Lee. The compositional style of Klein and Jamison is approachable, yet not devoid of the occasional streak of melodic or rhythmic madness, but it is almost always done in a completely controlled fashion, giving those moments of dynamism a flair of virtuosity. Regardless of the moments of high intensity, the remainder of the music’s runtime is tastefully rich with intertwining melodies between the saxophone and the piano, and interesting harmonic choices that range from emotional to inquisitive
All in all, both sonatas on this release are exquisitely composed. Lush, thoughtful, emotive, and beautifully played. The interlocking parts are stimulating, and the timbres of the instruments perfectly fit together. This is a pair of nuanced classical compositions that are equally soothing and exciting.