Premiere of the Month: Bernd Richard Deutsch’s new saxophone quintet

In his new work Stati d’animo (‘States of mind’), for alto saxophone and string quartet, Austrian composer Bernd Richard Deutsch explores different moods in each of the four movements. The first, Con un tratto di malinconia (‘With a touch of melancholy’), follows a sonata form structure, with the initial motif forming the basis of the rest of the movement’s development and eventual recapitulation. The pianissimo strings begin with a calm background of quavers that state the basic harmony of the first movement. The saxophone then emerges with the melody. The second movement, Scherzo Trio Scherzo, repeats the initial scherzo almost exactly at the end. ‘It’s a bit funny and sarcastic, with a Beethovenian character to it,’ says Deutsch…