Recent Performance

SATURDAY 26 AUGUST, 2023 (7:30PM)

Performers: Ocean Saxophone Quartet – Justinn Lu, soprano sax; Qi (Iris) Li, alto sax; Chen-Yu (Jenny) Yang, tenor sax; Jason Ji, baritone sax).
Venue: Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Road Hawthorn VIC 3122, Australia.
Program: “First Life – Melbourne” – an exciting program consisting of repertoire associated with many of Ocean’s ‘firsts’ since their establishment in 2021.
Tickets: First Life

YouTube

Soundbyte

Composer’s Note

Composed at the invitation of Nexas Quartet (Sydney, Australia), Slipstream is the latest addition to my catalogue of saxophone music which, to date, includes a solo piece (Air Traffic Control), music for saxophone and piano (Crazy Logic, Flight of Fancy, Hurly Burly), three saxophone concertos (Flying Colours, Carnival Capers, Escapade), a saxophone and marimba piece (Whirled Music) and a saxophone duet (Flight of Fancy).

As suggested by the work’s title, Slipstream follows hot on the heels of my earlier saxophone scores, taking advantage of some of their musical ideas, such as biting rhythms, angular melodic contours and symmetrical forms. My title also nods in the direction of the cycling world and to the art of slipstreaming or drafting, as it is known in cycling parlance. This advanced skill allows a rider to closely follow another rider, travelling in its slipstream while awaiting an opportunity to overtake.

Scored for saxophone quartet (plus a bicycle bell), all three movements of my piece are characterised by an exuberant mood and feature a fair amount of jostling counterpoint. The first movement (Allegro, alla fanfara) is energetic and a little bit rollercoaster-esque in its melodic contour. The middle movement (Con ritmo) juxtaposes two contrasting musical characters: “groovy” versus “straight-laced”. Marked Sentirsi bene (Feeling good), the third and final movement recaps material from the first movement, albeit at a quicker tempo and in the manner of a race to the finish line.

Between the cycling world and the world of the saxophone quartet, there are many parallels that one can find, not the least of which are the pursuit of precision teamwork and an abiding love for “the thrill of the ride”. I warmly thank Michael Duke, Andrew Smith, Nathan Henshaw and Jay Byrnes of Nexas Quartet for inviting me to compose Slipstream and for giving the world premiere performance on Tuesday 29 November, 2016 at the Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, NSW, Australia.

Matthew Orlovich,
Composer.

Some of the Known Performances

globe-detail

WEDNESDAY 1 DECEMBER, 2021
Slipstream (Mv. ii & iii)

Performers: Ocean Saxophone Quartet (Justinn Lu, Qi Li, Chen-Yu Yang and Nam Hoang)
Venue: Ian Potter Southbank Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Program: Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Woodwind Showcase.

flag-of-AustraliaWEDNESDAY 10 JUNE, 2020 (4PM AEST) – Online Concert – “Hear Together” Digital Season.
Performers: Nexas Quartet (Michael Duke, sop sax; Andrew Smith, alto sax; Nathan Henshaw, tenor sax; Jay Byrnes, bari sax).
Venue: Hear Together – Digital Season – Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank, VIC, Australia.
Program: Works by Elena Kats-Chernin, Matthew Hindson, Matthew Orlovich and Daniel Rojas-Gonzales.

flag-of-AustraliaTHURSDAY 12 MARCH, 2020 (6:30PM)
Slipstream (Mv. iii & ii)

Performers: A.R.I.A. Saxophone Quartet (Andrei Agnew, Aaron Chang, Ryan Lum & Ishaan Vellani).
Venue: John Vallance Hall, Sydney Grammar School, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.

flag-of-AustraliaSUNDAY 1 DECEMBER, 2019 (3PM)
Performers: Nexas Quartet (Michael Duke, sop sax; Andrew Smith, alto sax; Nathan Henshaw, tenor sax; Jay Byrnes, bari sax).
Venue: The Independent Theatre, Miller Street, North Sydney, NSW, Australia.

flag-of-Australia

THURSDAY 24 May 2018 (6PM)
Program: Presented by Melbourne Recital Centre and supported by The Robert Salzer Foundation, this Spotlight Series concert features the wonderful Nexas Quartet, comprising Michael Duke (soprano saxophone), Andrew Smith (alto saxophone), Nathan Henshaw (tenor saxophone) & Jay Byrnes (baritone saxophone). Together, they perform recently composed saxophone quartet music by Elena Kats-Chernin, Daniel Rojas, Matthew Hindson and Matthew Orlovich.
Venue: Salon, Melbourne Recital Centre, 31 Sturt St, Southbank, VIC, Australia.

flag-of-AustraliaSUNDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2017 (4PM)
Performers: Nexas Quartet (Michael Duke, Andrew Smith, Nathan Henshaw and Jay Byrnes)
Program: North Shore Wind Symphony and Nexas Quartet combine to present a brilliant concert featuring works by John Williams (arr. Paul Lavender), Eric Whitacre, Mason Bates, Elena Kats-Chernin, Isaac Albeniz, Matthew Orlovich, Adam Gorb and Warren Barker.
Venue: Rhodes Theatre – Barker College, 91 Pacific Highway, Hornsby, Sydney, NSW 2077

flag-of-AustraliaSUNDAY 30 JULY 2017 (3:00PM)
Performers: Nexas Saxophone Quartet.
Venue: Free Concert @ Queens Park, Australian Festival of Chamber Music (Townsville, QLD).

FRIDAY 26 MAY, 2017 (8:45PM)
Performers: MP Saxophone Quartet (Emanuele Dalmaso al sax soprano; Sveva Azzolini al sax contralto; Mattia Grott al saxonfono tenore; Simone Dalcastagnè al saxofono baritono).
Program: “La Musica Crea e Ricrea”
Venue: Sala Filharmonica, Rovereto, Italy.

SUNDAY 5 MARCH, 2017 (6PM) EUROPEAN PREMIERE PERFORMANCE
Performers: MP Saxophone Quartet (Emanuele Dalmaso al sax soprano; Sveva Azzolini al sax contralto; Mattia Grott al saxonfono tenore; Simone Dalcastagnè al saxofono baritono).
Program: Associazione MotoContrario: Contrasti 2017 – Festival di musiche del ‘900 e contemporanee (4a ed.) MotoContrario International (2).
Venue: Sala Conferenze Caritro, Trento, Italy.

flag-of-AustraliaTUESDAY 29 NOVEMBER, 2016 (7PM) WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCE
Performers: Nexas Saxophone Quartet (Michael Duke, soprano sax; Andrew Smith, alto sax; Nathan Henshaw, tenor sax; Jay Byrnes, baritone sax).
Venue: Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Australia.

Score Sample

Score Sample: Slipstream (for saxophone quartet & bicycle bell) | By Matthew Orlovich

Availability

Slipstream
(for saxophone quartet & bicycle bell)

Scores and Parts
available from Waratah Music.

Score Details

TITLE:
Slipstream (for saxophone quartet & bicycle bell)

DATE OF COMPOSITION:
2016

SCORED FOR:
Saxophone Quartet (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone) + 1 Bicycle Bell

DURATION:
c. 10 minutes

WORLD PREMIERE:
29 November, 2016 (7PM) – Nexas Quartet @ Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, NSW, Australia.

Nexas Quartet with composer Matthew Orlovich, 2016.

Above: Nexas Quartet with composer, Matthew Orlovich, 2016.

PUBLISHER:
Waratah Music

ISMN:
979-0-7202-1508-2 (Printed Score and Parts)
979-0-7202-1509-9 (PDF Digital Download)

CD: current
Performers: Nexas Quartet (Sydney, Australia)
Available from: Nexas Quartet

Contact me

If you would like more information about this score, feel free to email me.
I look forward to hearing from you!