Maï

Composer: Ryō Noda
Year: 1975
Instruments: Alto Saxophone
Sheet Music:
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⋅ Groth Music

The story behind this work is about the ghost of a Japanese Samurai. While his wife asks why he left her behind and went to fight in the war, he tries to justify his choices. The screaming altissimo at the end is the climax of hte struggle within the mind, which is then followed by a 10 second silence that represents his death. The technical abilities required are: large interval leaps, rapid trills, alternate fingerings to achieve pitch bending, multiphonics, altissimo, portamento and cutting tone.