Rush

(E.B. Marks). "Kenneth Fuchs's fifth Naxos recording with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta won the 2018 GRAMMY Award in the category Best Classical Compendium. Among the works featured on the album is Rush (Concerto for Alto Saxophone), which was commissioned by Ryan Janus, principal saxophonist of the United States Air Force Academy Band, and a consortium of saxophonists and ensemble conductors. The work is composed in a two-movement form, each about seven minutes in duration, connected by an extended cadenza for the saxophone soloist. The first movement, which begins with a short cadenza that introduces the thematic material of the work, is a rhapsodic Adagietto with transparent textures. The second movement, which begins with an extended cadenza that introduces blue notes into the harmonic language, is cast in the form of a jazz-inflected passacaglia with ten variations and a coda. Versions for orchestra and band are available from the publisher, as well as a piano reduction."