Beyond Words Vitaly Vatulya

• Jacob Ter Veldhuis (b. 1951):
• 1 Garden of Love (Version for Soprano Saxophone & Tape) 07:18
• Steve Reich (b. 1936):
• 2 Vermont Counterpoint (Arr. for Soprano Saxophone & Tape) 09:37
• Karen Tanaka (b. 1961):
• 3 Night Bird 08:22
• Will Gregory (b. 1959):
• 4 Interference 10:38
• Steve Reich:
• 5 New York Counterpoint (Version for Soprano Saxophone & Tape) 11:13
• Jacob Ter Veldhuis:
• 6 Grab It! (Version for Tenor Saxophone & Tape) 09:43
• Total Runtime 56:51

Info for Beyond Words

Familiar to most listeners as a voice from the world of jazz or easy listening, the saxophone performs in a ‘classical’ field with astounding ease, richness, and virtually devilish capacity for reinvention. Classical here is put in quotes, because the music you find on this record belongs to a large, exciting and only loosely charted stylistic area, where it is especially difficult to draw a line between ‘classical’ and ‘non-classical’. Difficult – and pointless: how ‘classical’ is Steve Reich’s Counterpoint, which calls for a soloist who performs alongside his own recording, digitally multiplied? Can we readily designate Jacob ter Veldhuis’s works, where the saxophone’s voice is mingled with recited poems and electronic mishmash of pre-recorded speech samples, to ‘classical’ music? Can we – or, better, do we need to – classify Will Gregory of Goldfrapp, a renowned electronic music duo whose work spans from trip-hop to pop, as a composer of Beethovenian kind? Complex, multi-faceted musical languages emerge in these border zones. They gravitate towards a number of styles at a time, and it is here that the saxophone shines at its brightest. Its boundless palette of tone colour, a plethora of extended playing techniques, a refreshing sound, not too heavy with 19-century associations, a superb gift for sound imitation – everything makes it the medium for compositional experiment. The saxophone grants a composer virtually unparalleled freedom – especially when combined with electronics.

Vitaly Vatulya, saxophone

Vitaly Vatulya
Internationally acclaimed soloist, Vitaly Vatulya became a prize-winner of more than twenty national and international competitions, among which are “Delphic Games”, one of the most prestigious competition in Russia, First prize at the International Saxophone Competition 'Marco Fiorindo' in Italy, International Saxophone Competition in Nova Gorica (Slovenia).

Vitaly Vatulya performs as a soloist and an active ensemble player, gives concerts in Europe, Russia and abroad. He performs with the leading Russian and European orchestras, including the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg State Capella Symphony Orchestra, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosovo Philharmonic and others. Vitaly is a soloist of the St. Petersburg House of Music.

As a chamber musician together with pianist Maria Nemtsova has founded VitaDuo, regularly collaborates with Keuris saxophone quartet, Ebonit Saxophone Quartet, cellist Evgeny Rumyantsev, violinist Artiom Shishkov and others.

Vitaly has an active teaching career. His students become winners of international competitions and festivals regularly. He gave master-classes in more than twenty countries all over the world, including Zagreb Music Academy, Yerevan State Conservatoire, Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana, Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Academia de Musica de Lagos in Portugal and other places.

In 2018 Vitaly joined pedagogical team of 19th Habanera Academy of Saxophone and participated at the 19th “Saxophone in movement" Festival in Poitiers, France. Vitaly’s performances can often be heard on the Russian and European radio and TV.

Since 2007 the saxophonist released three CDs, where he performed the works by Hindemith, Debussy, Franck, Mendelssohn, Borne and others. Vitaly Vatulya regularly takes part in various festivals in France, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Poland, Israel, Singapore, Netherlands and others.

Vitaly is also one of the authors and initiators of the ‘Music for Peace’ international charitable project (www.music-peace.com), which aim is to give concerts and master-classes in the post- conflict zones and bring new dimensions into people’s life. Festival of the Topical Music ‘Re:Formers Fest’ (www.reformersfest.com) is another Vitaly’s collaborative project which focuses in performing rare contemporary repertoire, promoting new musical forms and genres.

This album contains no booklet.