Annika Flying Close to the Sun (2015)
(for Alto Saxophone and Piano)

This short piece for alto saxophone and piano was written as a Christmas present for my niece, Annika Rothschild who at the time was 12 and learning the saxophone (one of my favourite instruments).

Upon hearing the first sketch, my daughter Hanna (Annika’s cousin) said I should call the piece ‘Close to the Sun’. And as I mainly write about planets, space and the place of our own Earth within the Universe, this seemed entirely reasonable. The final title, Annika flying close to the Sun, is therefore a personalized Christmas offering with best wishes for the journeys that lie ahead.

The premiere performance was given by James Nightingale and Mitchell Leigh at Queensland Conservatorium of Music on 6 November 2016

Stuart Greenbaum