BY ANGUS MCPHERSON
Petrichor Sax is a Sydney-based saxophone ensemble committed to performing new Australian works. Formed in 2012, they have performed around Sydney and collaborated with a number of emerging Australian composers. Petrichor Sax will be joined on May 23 by guest artist David Gioia from Perth for a program featuring world premieres of works by Elizabeth Jigalin and Michael Paton, as well as works by Phillip Glass, Jacques Ibert and György Ligeti. Laura Andrew and Mary Osborne from Petrichor Sax share some of their insights into the ensemble, the upcoming program, and life in an emerging chamber group.
What inspired the name Petrichor Sax?
‘Petrichor’ was discovered by our alto saxophonist Lachlan McDonald. It is a term coined by an Australian referring to the smell of rain when it hits a dry surface. The idea of using an olfactory perception to represent an aural perception intrigued us. It ultimately worked really well because experiencing petrichor seemed to mirror our experience of playing together; refreshing, familiar and hitherto inexpressible. Funnily enough, the name of Elizabeth Jigalin’s piece ‘popcorn convection.’ is a term used to describe showers and thunderstorms that form on a scattered basis.
What are some of the challenges Petrichor faces as an emerging ensemble in Australia?
Like most emerging ensembles in Australia, we face the challenges of creating performance opportunities and making a name for ourselves. Quite a few exceptional saxophone quartets already exist in Australia, so we have the difficulty of presenting our own voice and personal style, which sometimes goes against preconceived expectations of the ensemble. We are all at a stage in our lives where we need to start making decisions about where we want to go and how we should dedicate our time. We have very different aims and future prospects so it can be difficult to align our priorities. Luckily, we all value Petrichor and are more than willing to dedicate our time to its progression despite other commitments.
How would you describe the group dynamic in Petrichor?
Our group dynamic is generally very focused, and full of energy and light hearted banter. We all studied at the Sydney Conservatorium so we have similar approaches to playing classical saxophone in a chamber ensemble. However, we each have experience in many different areas including jazz, composition, and conducting, which allows us to expand creatively in many different ways. We constantly push ourselves and often set goals that we’d never expected to be achievable. We all rise to the occasion and it is very fulfilling.
Petrichor has already performed a number of world premieres. How does the ensemble approach new works, as compared to more traditional repertoire?
Our main objective is always to stay true to the composer’s intentions. Premiering new works in Sydney, we’ve been lucky in the fact that we can workshop with the composer directly. This has definitely shaped our approach to new works to be quite a collaborative process between performer and composer. This experience differs depending on the composer. For example, Michael Paton knows exactly what he wants and is very specific: one tempo marking is quite an unusual crotchet = 87, ‘because 86 is too slow, and 88 is too fast’. On the other hand, Liz Jigalin deliberately leaves a huge amount of the performance up to the performer and her composition merely acts as a creative guide. When it comes to more traditional repertoire, we depend more heavily on the score and recordings to ascertain the composer’s intentions. Sometimes this ambiguity allows us a freer and more personal interpretation.
This concert’s program is diverse, featuring works by Ibert, Glass, and Ligeti as well as compositions from Australia and New Zealand. How do you choose your programs?
The idea for the concert first came about when we asked Elizabeth Jigalin and Michael Paton if they were interested in writing for us. We were interested in having a collective ensemble of five saxophonists, and we’d worked with these composers before and knew they’d produce something incredible. Michael Jamieson’s [New Zealand] soprano saxophone duet ‘nga manu (bird-song suite)’ was chosen for its contrasting texture with the rest of the program. Our second alto saxophonist Alice Morgan is from New Zealand and has an authentic understanding of the bird songs. Ligeti’s ‘Six Bagatelles’ is quite a popular wind quintet. However, it was actually originally written for two pianos. We’ll be performing another arrangement of this piece for saxophone quartet by Fabian Oehrli. Philip Glass’ ‘Windcatcher’ brings together all six saxophonists, and is a rarely performed arrangement. We performed Glass’ saxophone quartet recently and wanted to explore his music further. Jacques Ibert’s ‘Concertino da Camera’ was the latest addition to the program, which was a result of our will to connect saxophonists from around Australia and premiere David Gioia’s [Perth] new arrangement.
This concert will feature world premieres by two Australian composers, Elizabeth Jigalin and Michael Paton. What can we expect from these works?
Expect some serious grooves and bustling rhythms of conversation from Michael Paton’s piece ‘Kaneshie’. Paton has taken his inspiration from a traditional Ghanaian tribal song, which he told us was the first African song he heard when he travelled to Ghana for three months. Elizabeth Jigalin’s work ‘popcorn convection.’ explores a dichotomy between the ‘determinate’ and what appears to be ‘indeterminate’. She allows the performer to choose their own pitches from her pitch sets through a dot-to-dot drawing, which we will show the audience.
In this concert, Petrichor is joined by guest artist David Gioia. How did this collaboration come about?
David Gioia is a friend of soprano saxophonist Mary Osborn. She felt that he would fit in perfectly with the group dynamic and add to the energy and creativity of Petrichor. When he mentioned that he had arranged Jacques Ibert’s ‘Concertino da Camera’, she thought it intertwined quite nicely with the rest of the program. It’s also a piece that we all know and love and we are excited to premiere David’s arrangement.
What can we expect from Petrichor Sax in the future?
We have a history of collaborating with composers and premiering their works. This will undoubtedly continue because of our passion for creating new works. We plan to perform more concerts, delve into new styles and tour nationally and internationally.
Petrichor Sax will perform at the Glebe Justice Centre, 7pm, May 23. Tickets $10 at the door.
Image supplied.
