A Conductor’s and Performer’s Guide to Steven Bryant’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone - Chester Jenkins

97 get into it, got me through that performance. And then we had more performances, leading up to that Indianapolis performance. That’s when it really…this is where that all goes. So, that’s my story. Sorry it took 25 minutes….you OK? GOURWITZ: Yeah, I’m OK. LULLOFF: Sorry I got the facts wrong. I couldn’t remember GOURWITZ: You didn’t get the facts screwed up at all. LULLOFF: I couldn’t remember what Kevin…but I remember, that’s where Kevin and you - out GOURWITZ: This has been a real labor of love. Joe and Steven hit it off perfectly, and Joe sent Steven a bunch of examples of his playing. What he wanted to know LULLOFF: Yeah, he wanted to know what pieces did I like? I sent him the Dahl Concerto, I told him some of my favorite people were…oh, you know the classics. Descenclos, I sent him a jazz player. But you know, but I said Ingolf Dahl. The intensity of Karel Husa, who I loved and I love his concertos, and Karel was at Michigan State many times. I mean…what else? Gosh I can’t think of too many others. GOURWITZ: You sent him overtones…. LULLOFF: Oh yeah. Well, he knows I wanted a virtuosic concerto. I’ve had some pieces, that when you commission a composer, they don’t really write virtuosically enough. If you’ve seen at this conference, this conference is taking…I mean, I want pieces that my students are going to reach for. JENKINS: Yeah LULLOFF: Now, they can reach for it musically, like some of the characteristics of the Carter Pann. But they got to be able to reach. Well, we want a strong reach. Because that’s the only way we’re going to push the saxophone forth. So, I said to Steven, ‘You need to push me.’ I said, ‘Make it harder.’ Charles Ruggerio, my colleague at Michigan State, who has written many things for me says, ‘Joe was never satisfied with it being hard. It wasn’t hard enough.’ What I mean by that, it doesn’t have to be faster, higher, louder. It has to be more interesting. It’s got to show a level of complexity. Like a great thinker would. JENKINS: Yeah… LULLOFF: And that’s what I asked Steven to do. I can’t remember all the pieces, maybe he can share with you the email. I mean, if you want me to dig up the email, I might be