Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano

The Sonata by Tas is a powerful, expressive, and concentrated work elaborated in three movements. It can be seen as a typical polystylistic work: different musical worlds are traversed, in order to finally strive for a thoroughly integrated eclecticism or all-encompassing style. He makes no distinction between traditional, contemporary, or jazzy building blocks. He uses everything that can serve. The first movement is a fine example of this. The corner movements of this movement consolidate a pulsating energy. Sixteenth-note motifs are gradually expanded, developed, and varied as the music unfolds.
It is concentrated music that passes quickly and therefore needs the contrasting movement that follows, the Andante Espressivo. While the movement of sixteenth notes in the outer movements evoke almost Baroque reminiscences, the intimate and expressive character of the Andante Espressivo is framed on the basis of dissonant harmonic underpinnings.
In the second movement, strong melodic lines predominate, strikingly elaborated with lydian or octotonic pat-terns. The warm expression and meditative lyricism is written in an undulating dynamic progression and extended tessitura of the saxophone. The harmonic language is calibrated to the texture of the saxophone part and, due to the predominant nocturne character of the music, gives a relatively mild level of dissonance.
The third movement is highly energetic and opens with a raw energy. The variable metrics, percussive power, and rhythmic language with its angular figures and strong accents create a constant excitement and an inexhaustible drive.