Composer/Author:
Enzel, C. Arranged/Written for: Solo Instrumentation: Tenor saxophone or another saxophone
The Wagner paraphrases were commissioned by the Wagner Museum Bayreuth and premiered at Villa Wahnfried – Wagner's residence. Originally composed by Christoph Enzel
for tenor saxophone, they can be played on all kinds of saxophones. The occasion of the composition was the opening of an exhibition about "Entartete Musik", which showed, among other things, the inglorious role of Wagner's writing "The Jewish in Music" and the descendants of Wagner in National Socialism. Allegedly, Richard Wagner vehemently rejected the saxophone and everything it stood for.
The Wagner Paraphrases are three saxophonistic arrangements of Wagner's music: Walk sees doubts about the Valkyrie ride from the opera "Die Walküre", Elle is a transcription of the elegy WWV 93 and shows that Wagner's harmony could be very jazzy and Tan is based on the pilgrim's choir from the Opera Tannhäuser. Especially the harmony of the middle section of Tan develops a fascinating meditative effect.
