PORTUGAL premiere Elise Hall – We Thank You! by Katia Beaugeais
International Elise Hall Tribute Festival
9pm, 26 November 2024
Teatro Viriato,
Largo Mouzinho de Albuquerque, 3500-160 Viseu, Portugal
Beaugeais’ new sax orchestra piece, Elise Hall – We Thank You! (2024), specially composed for this International Elise Hall global event, will be performed alongside other world-renown soloists and ensembles.
Score sample pages here:
https://www.newmusicblock.com/event/international-paris-womens-festival-katia-beaugeais-world-premiere-for-saxophone-orchestra/
Composer’s Note – Free to use for concert programs
Elise Hall – We Thank You! by Katia Beaugeais
« En hommage à Elise Hall pour tout le chemin qu’elle a tracé pour nous ! »
Elise Hall – We Thank You! (2024) for saxophone ensemble was commissioned by French saxophonist, Nicolas Prost, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Elise Hall’s death. The world premiere will be performed at the International Elise Hall Tribute Concert at the Église Saint-Merry in Paris on 17 November 2024, followed by numerous other countries.
This piece is dedicated to Mrs Elise Hall (1853-1924).
When composing Elise Hall – We Thank You! I wanted to create a special atmosphere, where we feel the presence of Elise Hall with us on stage and in the audience.
For this reason, certain motifs from Elise Hall’s well-known commissioned works, Claude Debussy’s Rhapsodie and André Caplet’s Légende, are used as inspiration in the opening and final section.
Elise Hall – We Thank You! features contemporary saxophone techniques, nature sounds and bursts of colour in free, dream-like, atmospheric and unifying ways in honour of Elise Hall. Wind, sea wave sounds and Bellbirds (birds of Australia) are created by quarter-tone bird-like trills, ringing bell chords, delicate air vibrato, multiphonics, rippling glissandos and the saxophonists whistling like birds.
Elise Hall not only defied social norms by being one of the first women saxophonists of her time, but she also commissioned new saxophone works by leading composers which have shaped my dual role as saxophonist and composer.
With this piece, I want to thank Elise Hall for the trailblazing woman she was! And for her profound lasting impact on classical saxophone repertoire and the saxophone community of today, Elise Hall – We Thank You!
Program Note by Katia Beaugeais – October 2024.
Sydney, Australia.
