Waves and Stars

Christina Leonard | Soprano Saxophone

James Nightingale | Alto Saxophone

Martin Kay | Tenor Saxophone

Nicholas Russoniello | Baritone Saxophone

Central to the concept of Waves and Stars is the Renaissance practice of hymn settings that combined plainchant and polyphonic verses for use in Church. We’ve taken a setting of Ave Maris Stella, a Latin hymn that was first notated in the 9th Century, that has three of its six verses in polyphonic composition by Tomas Luis de Victoria, a Spanish composer of the 16th Century. Instead of using simple plainchant for verses 1,3 and 5, we’ve interspersed improvisations and pieces that reflect on the hymn, which translates as ‘Hail, star of the sea’. So we have Adrift by Elena Kats-Chernin and improvisations that focus upon waves, and distant points of brilliance. We’ve included a coda to the de Victoria that is a classic of 20th Century popular song.

Executive Producer: Judith Neilson AM