Feb. 19, 2026 - 7:30pm
(doors open 6:45pm)
Saxophon quartet
clair obscure
Kathi
Wagner
Bariton
saxophone
Maike
Krullmann
Alto
saxophone
Carlos
Giménez
Soprano
saxophone
Christoph
Enze
Tenor
saxophone
We usually associate the saxophone with names such as John Coltrane, Charlie Parker or Stan Getz – and therefore with jazz. Yet anyone who has heard Alexander Glazunov’s Saxophone Concerto or Debussy’s Rhapsody for Saxophone knows that this instrument can sound entirely different: as an independent classical voice, positioned somewhere between oboe and clarinet, refined, elegant and noble in tone.
Classically trained musicians, the four members of clair obscure naturally master this repertoire – something audiences can also experience when they appear as a saxophone ensemble in concerts of the Berlin Philharmonic. But that is only one side of their artistic identity: in their own programmes, they move with great stylistic assurance between classical music and swing, between noble tonal culture and a subtle, charming form of entertainment that surprises – and delights.
program:
THE BIG NIGHT OUT
A musical evening for anyone who can't decide—opera or symphony concert? Ballet or chamber music? Musical or film?
With THE BIG NIGHT OUT, the saxophone quartet clair-obscur presents a program that combines different musical genres. Instead of committing to one style, the ensemble juxtaposes works from opera, symphonic music, ballet, chamber music, film, and musicals – demonstrating just how versatile four saxophones can sound.
The program ranges from
Rossini's comic opera to
DvoÅ™ák's dance-like sound world and
Martinů's experimental ballet to
minimalist chamber music by Philip Glass,
cinematic atmospheres by Ennio Morricone,
and the jazz-inspired rhythms of Leonard Bernstein.
The compilation highlights the versatility of the saxophone – an instrument that effortlessly switches between classical precision, orchestral sonority, and jazzy freedom.