"Whoops of appreciation for the NSC at the World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia, leave no room for doubt - the choir has well and truly arrived on the international scene!

The choir's half hour performance in the Linhart Hall of the Cankarjev dom on the penultimate day of the Congress followed less formal outdoor appearances on the steps of Ljubljana's City Hall and more perilously, from a tourist boat on the city's Ljubljanica river. This must be the choir's most scenic performance to date as fascinated onlookers watched and applauded from the city’s picturesque bridges, where extra excitement came not from the risk of capsizing (no-one was ever in real danger) but from a temporary addition to the NSC family in the form of guest player Simon Bull's gigantic contrabass – an absolutely inimitable sound and spectacle.

The trip was the culmination of month's of musical and logistical work in the UK, plus two rehearsals in the sweltering heat of the Ljubljana's Music and Ballet School, and was testimony to the generosity of leading figures on the UK sax scene. Richard Ingham (Northern Saxophone Quartet, Tribune and WSC soloist) conducted his own Mrs Malcolm, Her Reel (Funky Freuchie) plus Philip Buttall's showcase for Nigel's tiny soprillo Waltzing Soprillda, and the premiere of Roger May's Introduction & Riffs. Gerard McChrystal (WSC soloist in Thursday's gala concert) was soprano soloist in Nigel's Under the Veil, Sarah Markham (NSQ, Tribune) joined the choir on sopranino, Tony Davis (NSQ) on bass and Julia Mills (NSQ, Tribune) on percussion.

Roars of approval greeted Gerry's performance in Veil, there were shouts of appreciation for Tony's solo in Mrs Malcolm and resounding applause for the premiere of Introduction & Riffs, but it was Nigel and his soprillo that brought the house down with Waltzing Soprillda. This was more than an incredulous, spur-of-the-moment response to Nigel's ability to control this tiny little instrument and make it sing – immediately after the concert the national radio snapped Nigel up for an interview, and Slovene composer Igor Krivokapic is currently working on a piece for soprillo and harp called Milina.

More international projects are already emerging: the choir has an invitation to Washington DC next January and German resident Simon Bull and his mighty contrabass hope to join the choir at the Edinburgh Fringe, 5th – 13th August.

A sad footnote to a resoundingly successful WSC trip is the trashing of one baritone sax and damage to others during flight - the perils of international performance for saxophonists. There'll be no naming and shaming here, but suffice to say that players reading this should beware of supposedly flight-proof cases that aren't, and the inability of some carriers to comprehend a 'fragile' sticker. Many thanks to Selmer for loan of a baritone, and to Benedikt Eppelsheim for loan of a bass."
Clare Mackney
Clare Mackney was at the WSC representing the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britain and her Congress report will appear in the December 2006 issue of CASS magazine.

Return to past event reviews