Legend of a Giant is a composition for solo alto saxophone and Wind Band composed by the Belgian composer Kevin Houben. The composer dedicated this challenging saxophone concerto to the Spanish saxophone virtuoso Mariano Garcia. The work had its premiere in May 2021 in the Lemmensinstitute with the Wind Band of the LUCA School of Arts in Leuven (Belgium) conducted by Ivan Meylemans. Mariano Garcia is a full time professor saxophone at the LUCA School ofArts, the Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Aragon in Zaragoza (Spain) and the Wiener Akademie Musik (Austria). As in any classical concerto the saxophone soloist ‘competes’ with the ensemble: first alternately, in dialogue with each other, afterwards fraternally together. Moreover the ensemble is regarded as an equal partner, therefore also for the musicians of the group, this cinematic score presents a tough challenge. Legend of a giant immerses the listener in the world of the saxophone and challenges the soloist in the field of lyricism and timbre, but also on a technical level. In this way various aspects and modern playing styles such as bisbigliandos, double staccato, frullatos, glissandos, harmonics of overtones, pass in review. In a word: a tough ‘challenge’ for any saxophone virtuoso! A simplified version of the saxophone solo part also exists.
