Shall the Circle Survive? for double saxophone quartet is told from the perspective of an unknown narrator, whose voice is heard in the piece from the various members of the ensemble. Having just lost a loved one, their (the narrator’s) jumbled thoughts of mourning are heard at the very beginning. These thoughts are interrupted throughout the piece by longer musical passages as the narrator’s mind becomes intoxicated by pleasant memories of the one they mourn. Yet their mind always returns to the somber contemplation heard at the beginning.
Much of the piece is based on the folk hymn Will the Circle be Unbroken. All of the spoken portions of this piece are adapted from the lyrics of the Carter Family recording of the song from 1927.
Premiered 12-6-17
Shelbey Evans, Zach Grenig – Soprano Saxophone
Mitchell Beck, Matthew Loya – Alto Saxophone
Chris Sacha, Emmanuel Fernandes – Tenor Saxophone
Beau Haygood, Eric Espinoza – Baritone Saxophone