Invented in 1846, the saxophone is an instrument still in comparative infancy: a little too late for Bach and Beethoven, just in time for the apprehensive pens of the great Romantics.

This smaller pool of classical repertoire could pose a sort of challenge to a saxophone quartet, but it’s one that saxophonist Michael Duke and the Nexas Quartet have been taking, well … by the horns.

Nexas Quartet. Photo © Keith Saunders

“Although it’s a very important part of what we do, we’ve never limited ourselves to just original compositions for saxophone quartet,” he tells Limelight.

“All four members are keen arrangers, and we’ve been looking far and wide for interesting projects that we can translate into this format. From piano solos to string quartets to orchestral works, we have done it all. Having a more limited repertoire than, say, our string quartet colleagues, opens us up to looking further afield, and has brought some amazing opportunities along the way.”

Some of these opportunities become the jewels of the next Nexas gig. On 10 November, the...