“We try to stand out from the fact that we are considered a saxophone quartet only. We work to get closer to a state where the most important thing is to transmit a message, to communicate, regardless of the means we use to do so, in our case, the Saxons “, the members state forcefully Kebyart Ensemble, the saxophone quartet that premieres on Saturday as a resident artist at the Ateneu de Banyoles with a concert with the GIO.
Born in 2014 in Barcelona by the union of four ESMUC students with the desire to “discover first hand the fascinating world of chamber music”, Kebyart combines classical and contemporary music without complexes, going beyond the traditional association between saxophone and jazz: “what we stand for is the dialogue between the music, no matter when it was written but its quality.”
«We claim this classic origin of the instrument in their quintessential chamber ensemble, the saxophone quartet, which was born only a few years later than the instrument, ”say some musicians who are expanding the saxophone repertoire.
They do this by including in their programs classical pieces that were not originally written by him and also current compositions, with a couple ofcommissions to national and international composers each season.
“We are not a quartet that only makes contemporary music. We are making our arrangements, so not only will the commissions be left to the new generations, but also our transcripts, which we believe are a hallmark of the house, ”they say.
One of the turning points of their career was in 2016, when the Primer Palau award from the Palau de la Música Catalana gave them a very powerful endorsement in front of the public.
And it is that, they indicate, his is an unusual proposal in the classic one. They recognize that in the beginning they had to fight a little harder to prove that the saxophone quartet was as serious a formation as a string quartet or a wind quintet.».
More than suspicion, however, they say that what they have found most has been people “surprised” by the possibilities offered by the combination of four saxophones.
Currently, they say, they are living their best season, because they are immersed in it a European tour as part of Echo Rising Stars, a recognition that has led them to debut in a few months in about twenty European theaters with the Musikverein in Vienna or the Philharmonie in Paris.
“In a way, we feel like ambassadors for the formation of the saxophone quartet and Catalan chamber music for Europe, which is a strong responsibility, but at the same time an extraordinary gift,” they say.
Three recitals in Banyoles
In Banyoles they will make their first artistic residency, an “opportunity”, they say, to show themselves as artists in all their dimensions. They will start on Saturday with a concert that will also be repeated at the Palau de la Música two days later. He will be with the GIO Symphonia, performing works by Philip Glass, John Adams and John Cage.
The second concert will be a recital of what they are doing in recent months in Europe, with a program that includes pieces by Mozart, Mendelssohn and a piece written specifically for the Kebyart Ensemble by the prestigious composer Jörg Widmann.
The last one will be “a colorful party”, they explain, performing accompanied by pianist Albert Cano and clarinetist Pablo Barragán, in a hitherto unpublished sextet project.