Music Director Aram Demirjian leads the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and saxophonist Christopher Creviston in the world premiere of Robert Paterson's “Cocktail Concerto.” Photo courtesy of Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.
In Sunday’s (3/15) Arts Knoxville (Tennessee), Alan Sherrod writes, “As part of the KSO’s ‘9 For 90’ series of premieres this season, Maestro Aram Demirjian offered the world premiere of Robert Paterson’s Alto Saxophone Concerto (‘Cocktail Concerto’), performed by its commissioner, saxophonist Christopher Creviston. Completing the concert were … Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and the Symphony No. 2 (‘Gaelic’) by Amy Beach…. This was the first KSO performance of the 1896 Beach symphony, an occasion deserving kudos … Long overdue attention is finally being given to the neglected works of women composers…. Saxophonist Christopher Creviston [performed] the World Premiere of Robert Paterson’s Alto Saxophone Concerto, nicknamed ‘Cocktail Concerto’ … with Creviston making his entrance carrying his sax and two martini glasses—one for Maestro Demirjian, one for himself …The performance yielded … an admirably virtuosic and kinetic work for saxophone acting as an instrumental vocalist … Each movement was based on a specific cocktail … There was significant fun to be had with this piece … The Beach ‘Gaelic’ Symphony is a marvelous work … Demirjian and the orchestra displayed both a sharp ear for important details and a deliciously solid grasp of the atmospheric big picture.”
