Colere's Collaborative Debut with Casey Dierlam Tse

Colere Quartet and pianist Casey Dierlam Tse launched a collaborative project in the spring of 2020 aiming to perform existing works and commission new works for the saxophone quartet + piano instrumentation. The first performance to result from this project will take place virtually at the North American Saxophone Alliance Region 3 Conference on Thursday, March 18th at 8:25pm.

Asha Srinivasan’s Janani (2009) for saxophone quartet and piano is the piece on the program for the ensemble’s debut. Srinivasan says the following about the piece:

The word Janani is traditionally used to address the Goddess figure and means life-giver, or mother. The piece is lovingly dedicated to my mother and uses two Indian ragas, or modes, that are indirectly related to her; the first is called Lalitha, her name, and the second is called Ahiri, her favorite raga. The piano opens with a drone-like gesture and the alto sax begins a quiet exploration of the first mode in the alaap-style of Indian music. As the piece progresses, new pitches enter and there is a gradual shift to the second mode with a new tonic. After a pregnant pause, the alto sax begins an exploration of the second mode, though this time with an intense rhythmic energy that is subsequently sustained by the ensemble. Soaring above the rhythmic layers, the soprano sax sings freely while continuously heightening the intensity until all instruments join together for a rousing finale.

More information about the Region 3 NASA conference can be found here.

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