Samsara is committed to inspire the creation of new repertoire for our unusual flute/saxophone duo. Therefore, the programme includes pieces written especially for them, with a world premiere and a UK premiere.
This work Beata Viscera was written around 1200 and celebrates the mystery of the Virgin Mary. It was sung during a Mass celebrated for the Virgin Mary and translates as 'O blessed womb'. It has been arranged for flute and saxophone.
i No. 11 BWV797, ii No. 6 BWV777
The Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772–801, also known as the Two- and Three-Part Inventions, are a collection of thirty short keyboard compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): 15 inventions, which are two-part contrapuntal pieces, and 15 sinfonias, which are three-part contrapuntal pieces. They were originally written as Praeambula and Fantasiae in the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, a clavier-booklet for his eldest son, and later rewritten as musical exercises for his students.
"Two Lines" is a composition by English composer Gavin Bryars for two recorders (tenor and bass) which has been arranged for flute and alto saxophone. Written in 2007 at the request of performers Peter Bowman and Kathryn Bennets to celebrate their 20th anniversary, the piece is a response to J.S. Bach's "Two-Part Inventions".
Often, as we fall asleep, slight noises, such as voices, words, buzzing sounds, may suddenly expand, causing us to startle and thus depriving us from the rest we wish for. We may waver a little, between sleeping and waking, losing ourselves in the living ramifications which develop from this state. “Somewhere at 7 :20 p.m.” imagines and explores this area of sounds, inspired by a traditional Tuscan lullaby that Sara Minelli and I chose, so as to create a piece in which a single performer could mingle the resonances of the voice and the bass flute. An intimate domestic scene, in which a mother’s lulling voice meets the child’s dreaming imagination, struggling anxiously to fall asleep. (Fensi)
"O Great Spirit" is a song composed by the jazz musician Gerry Mulligan near the end of his life. He never recorded it but it was later recorded by artists like the Bud Shank Quartet.
Eco - Stress is inspired by the issue of climate change. The piece consists of three parts in interrelated form that is unfolded by extended techniques such as abstract timbre, symbolic segmentation of nature and set - theory combined music materials throughout the piece. Numbers 1 [A], 4 [F],6 [Ab] represent soil, nature and the sky, which are the basic foundation of pitch set. The numbers are often used as rhythm segmentations. Also, I made the set of instability of numbers [1,4,6,13,14,17,22,26,38,40] interpreted in several configurations of music segmentation (Han)
Shadows on Snow is written for two of my favourite instruments: alto flute and soprano saxophone. Of its series of contrasting sections, one recurring material evokes swirling flurries of flakes gradually falling; elsewhere, the two instruments take it in turns to play the part of image and shadow. In the final section, flute and saxophone share a flickering, whispering material which is at once rapid and static, almost fusing them into one instrument. Shadows on Snow is dedicated to Minelli and Marzi (Causton)
Samsara Duo (Flute/Saxophone Duo)
Sara Minelli is an Italian flautist based in London since 2011. She has a wide repertoire, extensive experience in performing New Music and a growing reputation for exquisite live performances. Her debut solo album, New Resonances, was released in 2018 with critical acclaim, appearing in important magazines, such as Pan, the Journal of the British Flute Society and the Guardian. In 2022, Sara's latest album, Where Song Was Born, has been successfully released on the Metier label (UK), with excellent reviews from the British Music Society, The Flute Journal, Web Music International, Fanfare (US). Sara is highly regarded as a solo performer and has played extensively in the UK and abroad. In 2025 Sara has been collaborating with Riot Ensemble in concerts at Cambridge University, including the Electro/acoustic Festival and at Royal Academy of Music.
Mario Marzi is winner of nine national and four international competitions. He has performed with the most important symphonic orchestras in Italy, and venues across the world, such as the Carnegie Hall in New York. He devoted himself to XXth century repertoire and some of the most meaningful contemporary works for saxophone are dedicated to him. He has recorded for EMI, Edipan, Stradivarius, Agorà, BMG and Sony Classical. His CD of the major saxophone concertos for soloist and orchestra, which he recorded with "G. Verdi Symphony Orchestra" conducted by H. Schellemberger, was recently released in Italy by Amadeus and is now internationally released on ARTS.
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