“I was compelled to record David Maslanka’s Sonata…there are some parallels in our lives between David Maslanka and myself.”
This album of American Sonatas from Two Millennia, features alto saxophonist Wonki Lee with duo partner pianist Er-Hsuan Li, performing some of the most demanding sonatas for alto saxophone and piano by American composers.
The new album American Sonatas from Two Millennia features some of the best musical works written for saxophone and piano by American Composers. David Maslanka's music portrays deep human emotions and the breathtaking beauty of Montana's landscape. It will take you on a musical journey of tremendous turmoil and stunning beauty. This album is the premier recording of the new edition digitally engraved by his son Matthew Maslanka. Robert Muczynski takes the listener to Arizona's desert from the opening musical gesture. The listener will be drawn into a world of rhythmic and harmonic escapade with the broad dynamic range, the contrast in tempo, and the virtuosic interplay between the two instruments. Finally, the listener will experience an amalgamation of musical styles with Willaim Albright. The music is full of the manic drive, quirkiness, and rough edges that result from the rubbing together of starkly contrasting musical impulses of classical, jazz, ragtime, and contemporary music. All three sonatas have become cornerstones of classical saxophone repertoire.
