Biography
In 2013, the Netherlands Saxophone Octet came together for the first time, with the aim of showcasing Adolphe Sax's invention to its best advantage. Sax was commissioned by the French army to develop a woodwind instrument that could play low and loud in military orchestras. He had so much success with his baritone saxophone that he built saxophones in all kinds of sizes and tunings. These include the sparkling high sopranino and the low growling bass, which are an integral part of our arsenal.
There is not much original repertoire for eight saxophones, but the octet can be played like an orchestra and sometimes even an organ, allowing us to explore all kinds of possibilities with arrangements for other instrumentations. We play works such as Canto Ostinato by Simeon ten Holt, Workers Union by Louis Andriessen, Arnold Schönberg's Verklärte Nacht, and Johann Sebastian Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor.
A passionate love for this music has kept us together for more than a decade, and we are happy to share this warm connection on stage and on record.