Saxophone Concerto (Larsson)

Opus14

Composed1934 (1934), rev. 1980s

PublisherGehrmans Musikförlag [sv] (1952)

DurationApprox. 20 minutes^[1]

Saxophone Concerto
by Lars-Erik Larsson
The composer
Opus	14
Composed	1934 (1934), rev. 1980s
Publisher	Gehrmans Musikförlag [sv] (1952)
Duration	Approx. 20 minutes[1]
Movements	3
Premiere
Date	27 November 1934 (1934-11-27)
Location	Norrköping, Sweden
Conductor	Tord Benner [sv]
Performers	Norrköping Orchestral Association Sigurd Raschèr

The Saxophone Concerto, Op. 14, is a three-movement concertante composition for alto saxophone and string orchestra written in 1934 by the Swedish composer Lars-Erik Larsson. The piece premiered on 27 November 1934 in Norrköping, Sweden, with Tord Benner [sv] conducting the Norrköping Orchestral Association.^[1] The soloist was the German-born American virtuoso Sigurd Raschèr, its dedicatee, whom Larsson had consulted during the compositional process; as such, the concerto incorporated several Raschèr's pioneering techniques—"highly personal tricks and devices".^[2] Because the Saxophone Concerto proved too difficult for most soloists (and was therefore oft-neglected), Larsson "simplified" it in the early 1980s to make it more accessible.^[2]