Lyrical Concerto - Baritone Saxophone and Piano

During the fall of 1987, English composer Simon Proctor spent ten and a half weeks with Craig Kridel, a performer of many talents, who had taken up the serpent, a now nearly forgotten instrument. During this time Proctor composed a concerto for Kridel, which was premiered at the 1989 Serpent Festival in Columbia, South Carolina. This substantial and difficult original work was not performed again until Douglas Yeo, bass trombonist with the Boston Symphony, began championing the piece in recital and with orchestras in 1997, including performances with the Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by John Williams. In three connected movements, the Concerto explores in a clever and unpretentious way the full range of the performer's capabilities.

Although Simon Proctor's Lyrical Concerto was composed specifically to exploit the unique qualities of the serpent, this cheerful and melodious music is especially well-suited for performance on other instruments that occupy the same tonal regions. In particular, the composition is most appropriate for performance on Bassoon or Double Bassoon.

Simon Proctor's Lyrical Concerto has been recorded on serpent by Douglas Teo, with Deborah DeWolf Emery, piano and Craig Kridel, medieval cupped bells, on a compact disc entitled "Le Monde du Serpent" on the Berlioz Historical Brass label, BHB 101.

While Simon Proctor was composing the Lyrical Concerto, he heard his host, Craig Kridel perform on a set of medieval cupped bells. Entranced by the lovely tones and intrigued by the idea of combining the timbre of low instruments and the ancient bells, the composer included a prominent part for medieval bells in this edition of the Lyrical Concerto, and performers are encouraged to seek out appropriate bells to include in piano performances of the work.

Dedicatd to Alan Lumsden.

Piano reduction by composer.

Includes piano reduction, solo Baritone Saxophone part, and optional Medieval Cupped Bells (or Tubular Bells/Chimes or Bells/Glockenspiel).