The music might not be what you expect. For six years now, the Iridium Quartet has been exploring new works for multiple saxophones. What they've found is not jazz, not band music, but classical chamber music for the 21st Century. This month, the Iridium will be in concert at Albuquerque's Cathedral of St. John and also take part in the 2017 John Donald Robb Composers' Symposium.
The Quartet's baritone saxophonist, UNM music professor Eric Lau, says the Quartet has spent "a lot of time working directly with composers." The music written for them ranges from chantlike to propulsive.
In this longer version of the interview, Eric explains how the far-flung members of the Iridium came together and he talks about the Quartet's participation in the Robb Symposium.
The Iridium Quartet performs the Prelude/Chorale from David Maslanka's Recitation Book (from the 2014 Blue Griffin CD Into Xylonia)
