A Dream for Artemis
VINYL
Once upon a time, there was a singular little blue planet, home to a species fascinated by the beauty of the universe that sheltered it. This species always strove to look further, to push back the horizon of the possible and to touch the mystery of its origin. Exploring unknown worlds seemed so vital to it that it forgot to preserve its own habitat. This species, unique and insignificant in the cosmos, full of paradoxes, is ours: Humanity. As NASA prepares a new human exploration of the Moon, more than half a century after Neil Armstrong's first step, our eyes are once again following the adventures and trails of light of the Artemis mission, little sister and heir to the legendary Apollo program.
A Dream for Artemis is a concerto for saxophone quartet conceived as a tribute to space exploration, from 1957 to the present day. The Artemis mission will carry four astronauts on board. 4 saxonauts: 4 saxophonists exploring the sonic universe. 4 gleaming metal instruments for one rocket and a shared dream.Recorded with the Orchestre Victor Hugo, conducted by Jean-François Verdier, on the Mirare label.
SYMPHONIC STORIEs
The Ellipsos Quartet tells us a familiar story through four emblematic works rooted in the collective unconscious: Carmen, The Nutcracker, West Side Story and Rhapsody in Blue. Like a reduced symphony orchestra, in a chamber music spirit, they invite three great pianists, Marie-Josèphe Jude, Charles Heisser and Jean-Frédéric Neuburger. These luminous arrangements immerse us in the countless timbres of their saxophones, combined with the piano.
Fusion
Following the success of its latest album, Saxophonie, the Ellipsos Quartet invites composer and organist Thierry Escaich onto this new record. From this encounter was born Fusion, an album bringing together works by Bach, Vivaldi and Piazzolla, along with improvisations and original works by Thierry Escaich.
Recorded during a concert at the Dresden Philharmonie (Germany), this new album offers a daring fusion between two instruments rooted in distinct traditions. A NoMadMusic production, released with the kind permission of Billaudot editions.
Saxophonie
With this 2nd album on NoMadMusic, the Ellipsos Quartet pays tribute to the composer Fernande Decruck, curiously little known in France but renowned in the United States. Fernande Decruck wrote many pieces for saxophone, notably for quartet. Her music, highly refined and tinged with rhythmic and harmonic daring, stands at the crossroads of the worlds of Ravel, Stravinsky, Gershwin and Debussy.
A sonic world to discover, thanks to these previously unpublished pieces, published for the first time this year by Billaudot.
United Colors
To celebrate 15 years of its career, the Ellipsos Quartet wanted to pay tribute to the wind bands that bring together so many amateur musicians all over the world.
Shining brass, jazz swing, South African rhythms and sounds from Asia, not to mention a touch of tango and Irish fiddle…
"United Colors" is the melting pot of sax culture.
A 5th album built around the joy of playing and sharing, mixing new creations for saxophone quartet and pieces with wind band, alongside the Nantes Philharmonie.
SAX & GOSPEL
Here, the Ellipsos Quartet offers an encounter between the saxophone, which is reminiscent of the timbre of the organ, and the vocal quartet, thus illustrating the art of the fugue par excellence, through the repertoire of sacred music, gospel music or organ works that so characterize Church Music.
Recognized for their high-quality arrangements, innovative and even unique, the Ellipsos happily enjoy bringing together music of yesterday and today.
BOLERO
In this third opus, BOLERO, somewhere between piano and orchestra, this true "symphonic quartet" revisits pieces from the great French repertoire with boldness and sincerity.
By placing the theme of dance at the heart of this recording, these four saxophonists also take on original works by Thierry ESCAICH, Gabriel PIERNÉ and Jean FRANÇAIX, with a performance of great finesse and virtuosity.
Their extraordinary and eclectic sonorities present the instrument invented by Adolphe SAX as a "chameleon": in Boléro in particular, it can easily blend in with a small clarinet, turn into an English horn, embody a high-pitched bassoon, or even transform into an entire symphony orchestra!
PEER GYNT
Recorded in 2009, Peer Gynt invites the listener to rediscover composers who are well known, like Grieg, others who are difficult at first approach, like Prokofiev or Bela Bartók, and still others who have been forgotten, like Glazunov or Vittorio MONTI (whose music was nevertheless sampled in one of LADY GAGA's most famous songs!), in a rich musical universe imbued with the colors of Eastern Europe.
A European recital, with positive and moving energy for all audiences!
Medina
Medina is the first album of the Ellipsos Quartet. It was recorded on May 12, 13 and 14, 2007, at the Conservatoire de Paris and at the Cité de la Musique.
This album, dedicated to world music, will make you vibrate to the Hispanic rhythms of saxophones and accordion.
With Philippe GEISS (sopranino sax), Florian TATARD (accordion), and the musicians of the Gamelan of the Cité de la Musique.
