Salamander (2019, 11:00)

for baritone sax and electronics (with additional versions for bass clarinet and trombone)

Salamander is a sequel to Jackdaw, a piece that I wrote 24 years earlier. At the time that I composed Jackdaw, I had a tame, pet jackdaw (a small European crow) named Alice. I was able to record the bird and use these sounds in the electronics part. Salamander is also inspired by an animal. I have a cabin in the northern part of Jutland with a natural pond where salamanders live. In the springtime these small amphibian reptiles can occasionally be observed lazily sunning themselves in the water near the surface of the pond and then suddenly diving quickly down through the pondweed. I made no attempt to record the sounds of salamanders but the piece does start with a slow, dreamy section that is interrupted by a quick and lively section and finally returns to a palindrome version of the first slow section. Salamander was commissioned by the Czech saxophonist Kateřina Pavlíková with financial support from KODA Culture.

There are also version for solo bass clarinet and solo trombone. The score and performance audio track are available from the composer as digital downloads. For more information send a message to: contact [at] waynesiegel [dot] dk

Kateřina Pavlíková has created a wonderful video with her performance of Salamander:

The version for trombone was recorded by Niels-Ole Bo Johansen and is available on CD or streaming.

The version for bass clarinet was recorded by Sarah Watts.