Catch Me If You Can / Amy Dickson
Label: SonyBMG Catalog: 888430272026 Format: CD Dickson, AmyThis album featuring saxophone soloist Amy Dickson with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is essential listening for anyone who appreciates the classical saxophone (and probably if you like jazz too) as well as fans of orchestral film music. Dickson, in her previous three albums for Sony Classical and her album of British music, has already established herself as the premiere classical saxophone player of our times, and I don't consider that assessment to be hyperbole. Just listen to this album and be astonished at the range of her playing, the color and dynamics she brings to every note, and her consistently high musicality. I have never heard the saxophone sound as versatile as it sounds in Dickson's hands. The three works here are a suite for saxophone and orchestra based on a film score by John Williams, a saxophone concerto by the late film composer Michael Kamen (of "Die Hard" and "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" fame), and an arrangement of a score by Mark Knopfler. Each of these works is a masterpiece and they are all very different! The Williams work is the most accessible and it has his usual rich orchestration and lush harmonies. The Kamen concerto is a thrilling orchestral tour de force with utterly stunning playing by Dickson. Her virtuosity had my jaw drop at times. Wow! The orchestration by Kamen is reminiscent of that from his film scores. The Knopfler work is the jazziest of the three and also the lightest. I enjoyed it very much, though as a classical purist, I enjoyed the other works more. The playing of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under conductor Benjamin Northey is simply fantastic. This is a very polished ensemble that in no way sounds underpowered compared to more well-known grade-A orchestras. The sound quality provided by the combined team of ABC Classics and Sony Classical is marvelous: rich, deep, immersive, and with great dynamic range. The truth is that this album is not just for lovers of the classical saxophone but for anyone who appreciates any kind of saxophone playing. Dickson is the Queen of this instrument, and I hope she can release more recordings of arrangements like those on this album, as well as the standard saxophone repertoire, such as the Glazunov Concerto. This is an album that belongs in everyone's collection. Price: $22.98 |