The Raschèr Saxophone Quartet is a professional ensemble of four saxophonists which performs classical and

modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

. The quartet was founded in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in 1969 by prominent classical

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

Sigurd Raschèr Sigurd Manfred Raschèr (pronounced 'Rah-sher') (15 May 190725 February 2001) was an American saxophonist born in Germany. He became an important figure in the development of the 20th century repertoire for the classical saxophone. Early life ...

and his daughter, Carina (Karin). Some years later the quartet relocated to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

and has been based there ever since. The Quartet has appeared at major concert halls in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and the

, including Carnegie Hall and

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Opera Bastille Paris Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Philharmonie Cologne * Berliner Philharmonie * Kölner Philharmonie * Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg * Jenaer Philharmonie * Philharmonie im Gasteig, Munich * Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt * Philharmonie de Paris * Philharmonie Luxembourg The Philharmonie Luxembourg, also k ...

Concertgebouw The Royal Concertgebouw ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouw, ) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" translates into English as "concert building". Its superb acoustics place it among the finest concert halls ...

Schauspielhaus Berlin The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall in Berlin, the home of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of the city, it was originally built as a theater. It initially operated from 1 ...

Berliner Philharmonie The Berliner Philharmonie () is a concert hall in Berlin, Germany, and home to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The Philharmonie lies on the south edge of the city's Tiergarten and just west of the former Berlin Wall. The Philharmonie is o ...

Musikverein The ( or ; ), commonly shortened to , is a concert hall in Vienna, Austria, which is located in the Innere Stadt district. The building opened in 1870 and is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. The acoustics of the building's 'Gr ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Tonhalle Zürich Tonhalle is a German word meaning "tone hall", a concert hall. It may refer to: * Tonhalle Düsseldorf *Tonhalle Orchester Zürich *Tonhalle, Zürich The Tonhalle is a concert hall in Zurich, home to the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, one of Switz ...

. The quartet has received strong reviews and was acclaimed as the "Uncrowned Kings of the Saxophone" by the

Wiener Zeitung ''Wiener Zeitung'' is an Austrian newspaper. It is one of the oldest, still published newspapers in the world. It is the official publication used by the Government of the Republic of Austria for legally-required announcements, such as company r ...

Personnel

Linda Bangs-Urban Linda Bangs (sometimes known professionally as Linda Bangs-Urban) is a professional baritone saxophonist and was born in Waverly, Tioga County, New York. She was a founding member of the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet and studied under Sigurd Raschè ...

, baritone saxophone, 1969–1992 * Kenneth Coon, baritone saxophone, 1992–2019 *

John-Edward Kelly John-Edward Kelly (October 7, 1958 – February 12, 2015) was an American conductor and saxophonist. Born in Fairfield, California, Kelly began music studies in Belleville, Illinois studying clarinet, saxophone, flute and voice. Kelly focused o ...

, alto saxophone, 1981–1991 *

Christine Rall Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...

, soprano saxophone, 2002–present *

Carina Raschèr Carina may refer to: Places Australia * Carina, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane * Carina Heights, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane * Carina, Victoria, a locality in Mildura Serbia * Carina, Osečina, a village in the Kolubara District Pe ...

, soprano saxophone, 1969 until 2002 *

, alto saxophone, 1969 until 1980 *

Elliot Riley Elliot (also spelled Eliot, Elliotte, Elliott, Eliott and Elyot) is a personal name which can serve as either a surname or a given name. Although the given name has historically been given to males, females have increasingly been given the nam ...

, alto saxophone, 2001–present *

Bruce Weinberger The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...

, tenor saxophone, 1969–2014 * Harry Kinross White, alto saxophone, 1990–2001 *

Andreas van Zoelen Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The name ...

, tenor saxophone, 2014–present *

Oscar Trompenaars Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

, baritone saxophone, 2019–present

Original works written for the quartet

's tireless pursuit of classical composers led many of them to compose works dedicated to the quartet. The continued efforts by the group after Sigurd Raschèr's departure, combined with the impressive technical and musical abilities of the quartet, have led over 250 composers to dedicate works to the group. Composers who have written for the group include: *

Kalevi Aho Kalevi Ensio Aho (born 9 March 1949) is a Finnish composer. Early years Aho began his interest in music at the age of ten, when he discovered a mandolin in his home and began to teach himself how to play it. He soon was taken under the tutelag ...

Lera Auerbach Lera Auerbach (russian: Лера Авербах, born Valeria Lvovna Averbakh, russian: Валерия Львовна Авербах; October 21, 1973) is a Soviet-born American classical composer and concert pianist.

Erik Bergman Erik Valdemar Bergman (24 November 1911, in Nykarleby – 24 April 2006, in Helsinki) was a composer of classical music from Finland. Bergman's style ranged widely, from Romanticism in his early works (many of which he later prohibited from b ...

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled '' Sequenza''), and for his pioneering wo ...

Günter Bialas Günter Bialas (19 July 1907 – 8 July 1995) was a German composer. Life Bialas was born in Bielschowitz (today Bielszowice, a subdivision of Ruda Śląska) in Prussian Silesia. His father was the business manager of a German theatre, and his ...

Michael Denhoff Michael Denhoff (born 25 April 1955 in Ahaus) is a German composer and cellist. Life Denhoff has lived and worked in Bonn since 1982. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, where his teachers included Günter Bialas and Hans ...

Franco Donatoni Franco Donatoni (9 June 1927 – 17 August 2000) was an Italian composer. Biography Born in Verona, Donatoni started studying violin at the age of seven, and frequented the local music academy. Later, he studied at the Milan Conservatory ...

Elena Firsova Elena Olegovna Firsova (russian: link=no, Еле́на Оле́говна Фи́рсова; also ''Yelena'' or ''Jelena Firssowa''; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian composer. Life Firsova was born in Leningrad into the family of physicists Ol ...

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive ...

Sofia Gubaidulina Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina (russian: Софи́я Асгáтовна Губaйду́лина, link=no , tt-Cyrl, София Әсгать кызы Гобәйдуллина; born 24 October 1931) is a Soviet-Russian composer and an established ...

*Cristóbal Halffter *

Walter S. Hartley Walter Sinclair Hartley (February 21, 1927 – June 30, 2016) was an American composer of contemporary ( classical) music. Biography and education He was born in Washington, D.C., began composing at age five and became seriously dedicated to it ...

*Roman Haubenstock-Ramati *

Jouni Kaipainen Jouni Ilari Kaipainen (24 November 1956 – 23 November 2015) was a Finnish composer. Kaipainen was born in Helsinki to the physician and politician Osmo Kaipainen, and his wife, the author Anu Mustonen. He studied at the Sibelius Academy in He ...

Tristan Keuris Tristan Keuris (3 October 1946 in Amersfoort – 15 December 1996 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch composer. Life and career Keuris initially studied with Jan van Vlijmen in Amersfoort. At the age of 15 he started his studies with Ton de Leeuw at the U ...

Ton de Leeuw Antonius Wilhelmus Adrianus de Leeuw (Rotterdam, 16 November 1926 - Paris, 31 May 1996) was a Dutch composer. He occasionally experimented with microtonality. Life and career Taught by Henk Badings, Olivier Messiaen and others, and in his youth ...

* Anders Nilsson

*

Pehr Henrik Nordgren Pehr Henrik Nordgren (19 January 1944 – 25 August 2008) was a Finnish composer. Life Pehr Henrik Nordgren was born in Saltvik, Åland. received composition lessons starting from 1958 in Helsinki and studied musicology at the university from 1 ...

Per Nørgård Per Nørgård (; born 13 July 1932) is a Danish composer and music theorist. Though his style has varied considerably throughout his career, his music has often included repeatedly evolving melodies—such as the infinity series—in the vein o ...

Miklós Maros Miklós Maros (born 14 November 1943) is a Hungarian composer. He was born in Pécs, the son of composer Rudolf Maros and violinist Klára Molnár. He studied at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Budapest with Rezsö Sugár and at the Ferenc Liszt ...

*Enrique Raxach *Alexander Raskatov * Jan Sandström * Sven-David Sandström *Wolfgang von Schweinitz * Steven Stucky

*

Dimitri Terzakis Dimitri Terzakis ( el, Δημήτρης Τερζάκης; born March 12, 1938 in Athens) is a Greek composer. His father was the author Angelos Terzakis. From 1959–1964 Terzakis studied composition with Yannis Papaioannou at the Athens Helleni ...

*Erich Urbanner *

John Worley John C. Worley (1919-1999) was a saxophonist, conductor, professor, and a composer of classical, as well as more contemporary music for saxophone. He was born in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1919 and died on February 16, 1999. He served as conductor ...

Charles Wuorinen Charles Peter Wuorinen (; June 9, 1938 – March 11, 2020) was an American composer of contemporary classical music based in New York City. He performed his works and other 20th-century music as pianist and conductor. He composed more than ...

Iannis Xenakis Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (also spelled for professional purposes as Yannis or Iannis Xenakis; el, Γιάννης "Ιωάννης" Κλέαρχου Ξενάκης, ; 29 May 1922 – 4 February 2001) was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde ...

*Ruth Zechlin :

Recordings

Recitals: * ''Strange Exclaiming Music'' (2009) - Eric Moe; NAXOS 7951592 * ''The Concerto Project, Volume 3'' (2008) - Philip Glass; OMM0042 * ''Victoria Borisova-Ollas - The Triumph of Heaven'' (2008) -

Victoria Borisova-Ollas Victoria Borisova-Ollas (born 21 December 1969, Vladivostok) is a Russian-Swedish composer who first received international recognition for her symphonic poem ''Wings of the Wind'' which won second prize in the 1998 Masterprize International Co ...

; PSCD 171 * ''Saxophone ''(2002) - Philip Glass; OMM0006 * ''Europe'' (2001) -

Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''N ...

Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', ...

, Halffter, Nørgard, Xenakis; BIS-CD 1153 * ''America'' (1999) - Wuorinen, Corbett, Starer, Adler, Florio, Peterson; BIS-CD 953 * ''Music for Saxophones'' (1999) -

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

, Glazounov,

Reich ''Reich'' (; ) is a German noun whose meaning is analogous to the meaning of the English word " realm"; this is not to be confused with the German adjective "reich" which means "rich". The terms ' (literally the "realm of an emperor") and ' (l ...

, Starer, Keuris,

Koch Koch may refer to: People * Koch (surname), people with this surname * Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India * Koch family * Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east ...

; Cala CD 77003 * ''The Raschèr Saxophone Quartet'' (1994) - Xenakis, Bergman, Dünser, Denhoff, Bialas, Terzakis; Caprice 21435 * ''The Rascher Saxophone Quartet'' (1987) - Bach, Glaser, Karkoff, Koch, Maros, Sandstrom; Caprice 21349 * ''Works Of Nicola Lefanu'' (1986) - Karkoff, LeFanu, Maros, Urbanner; Col Legno Concerti written for the Raschèr Quartet with Orchestra: *''In Memoriam Pehr Henrik Nordgren'' (2012) - Nordgren, Lapland Chamber Orchestra John Storgards, Cond.; ABCD 322 * ''The Eight Sounds'' (2011) - Beamish, Chen Yi, Stucky, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Robin Engelen, Cond.; BIS-CD 1821 * ''Water Music'' (2009) - Dean, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Heinz Karl Gruber, Cond.; BIS-CD-1576 * ''From Equinox to Solstice'' (2003) Nilsson, Hvoslef, and Kaipainen -

Swedish Chamber Orchestra The Swedish Chamber Orchestra ( sv, Svenska kammarorkestern) is a Swedish orchestra based in Örebro. Established under its current name in 1995, its primary concert venue is the Örebro Concert Hall. The historical precursor ensembles to the orche ...

; BIS-CD-1203 * ''Oolit'' (2002) - Maros, Philharmonia Hungarica, Georg Alexander Albrecht, Cond.; Caprice 21670 * ''Philip Glass Symphony No.2 ''(1998), Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra,

Dennis Russell Davies Dennis Russell Davies (born April 16, 1944 in Toledo, Ohio) is an American conductor and pianist, He is currently the music director and chief conductor of the Brno Philharmonic. Biography Davies studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard Sc ...

, Cond.; Nonesuch 79496-2 Works for Saxophone Quartet and Voices * ''Circadian Rhythms:Mathew Rosenblum ''(2012) - Mathew Rosenblum,

Calmus Ensemble Calmus or CALMUS may refer to: * Calmus, Saeul, Luxembourg * Călmuș River, tributary of the river Tazlăul Sărat in Romania *Dick Calmus (born 1944), American baseball player *Rocky Calmus (born 1979), American footballer *CALMUS, composing soft ...

; New World Records 80736 * ''Chorbuch-Les Inventions Dadolphe'' (2012) - Mauricio Kagel, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Klaas Stok, Cond.; Winter & Winter 910 191-2 * ''Canticum Novissimi Testamenti II'' (1996) -

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert in 1968—gi ...

Voices, Seymon Bychkov, Cond.; Philips 446 094-2 Works with other instruments: *''Die Kunst der Fuge'' (2011) - Bach, Carsten Klomp, Organ.; No Label * ''New York Counterpoint'' (2002) - Bach, Denhoff, Grieg, Kastner, Reich, Raschèr Saxophone Orchestra, Bruce Weinberger, Cond.; BIS-NL-CD-5023 * ''Gubaidulina'' (1995) -

Kroumata Percussion Ensemble Kroumata was a Swedish professional percussion ensemble which was active from 1978 until 2015. The name derived from the ancient Greek word for percussion instruments. The group was founded in Stockholm in 1978 by Ingvar Hallgren, Anders Holdar, Ja ...

; BIS-CD 710 *''Anders Nilsson: KRASCH!'' (1995) - Gubaidulina, Nilsson, Kox,

; Caprice 21441

Raschèr Saxophone Orchestra

The Raschèr Saxophone Orchestra is a professional saxophone orchestra with 12 musicians, was founded in 1999 or 2000. It is conducted by

, the tenor saxophonist in the Raschèr Quartet, and includes among its ranks the current members of the quartet as well as some former members.

External links

Raschèr Saxophone Quartet official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rascher Saxophone Quartet Musical groups established in 1969 German musical groups Saxophone quartets