Here’s an intriguing release that’s full of fascinating repertoire. An all-Australian recital of works for the soprano saxophone, the saxophonist Michael Duke teams up with pianist David Howie, who together are rather neatly known as the HD Duo.

Things start off with Peter Sculthorpe’s Rockpool Dreaming, originally commissioned by the ACO for the tenth anniversary of Neil Perry’s Sydney restaurant Rockpool. Sculthorpe had briefly considered writing a fanfare, but rejected this idea in favour of what he refers to as “a more poetic work, one with more fluidity of movement, and one with a slightly Asian flavour”. Re-arranged here by Duke and Howie (with violinist Evgeny Sorkin and cellist Julian Smiles stepping in as well), it’s a lovely work where the whirling accompaniment arpeggios twist and turn as Duke’s saxophone likewise weaves in and out of Sorkin and Smiles’ parts.

The big advantage of the soprano sax for composers is that it has a very similar register to other wind instruments. So, a couple of these pieces began life as oboe works before being transmuted into their current forms. That’s the case with Ross Edwards’ Bird Spirit Dreaming, which you might have heard as an oboe concerto, originally written for Diana Doherty. I was prepared for this chamber version to lose some of the original orchestral work’s colour, but that’s simply not the case – Duke and Howie absolutely capture the work’s free-spirited nature, and their ensemble interplay is impressively tight, with Howie’s accompaniment perfectly catching each of Duke’s wild, bird-like outbursts in the first movement, for instance. Kevin Man’s percussion in the third movement also adds vital groove and syncopation behind Duke’s solo sax, which whoops and chirps throughout.

Brenton Broadstock’s music makes two appearances with the pieces I Touched Your Glistening Tears, and An Endless Ripple II. These are both introspective, gentle works (the former is a tribute to the composer’s disabled son, and the latter is a reflection on the Pushkar Saraf quote, “a simple act of caring creates an endless ripple”), which the duo perform with sensitivity, the flowing passages of An Endless Ripple passing seamlessly from player to player.

Matthew Hindson’s Night Pieces is another oboe adaptation, and despite a spirited performance, I can’t say I love the piece. The first movement Night Song’s tenderness is rather overshadowed by the overly bombastic Night Dance, which sees Hindson tinkering with microtones (the notes in between the notes, if you will). That’s fine, but it feels a little like an experiment in search of a piece.

Finally, Lyle Chan’s The Perfumed Calyx is a thoughtful homage to Ravel which showcases Duke’s fine cantabile (and some rather nice, tangy harmonies from Howie), while Matthew Orlovich’s Cloud Nine is a bright work that brings this release to a light-hearted end with the final movement Playful. Again, here the duo’s tight ensemble skills are a real highlight.

An excellent set of performances of Australian music from Australian performers. It’s unusual repertoire played just right, so definitely well worth a purchase.

Listen on Apple Music

Title: Bird Spirit Dreaming
Works: Music by Sculthorpe, Edwards, Broadstock et al.
Performers: Michael Duke sop sax, David Howie p
Label: Da Vinci Classics 5419789127