KEY POINTS:
Next Thursday, the young Australian saxophonist Amy Dickson gives the world premiere of her arrangement of Philip Glass' 1987 Violin Concerto with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
In her 20s, she is a veteran, "a third-generation Sydney saxophonist" as she puts it.
"I was lucky to be from a generation that was very open-minded about the instrument. A lot of people still don't take the saxophone seriously and, when those people are in a position to influence one's career, it can cause endless problems."
Winning the Royal Overseas League's Gold Medal in 2004 was one of the most beneficial of her numerous awards and prizes. "They really looked after me, giving me all sorts of performing opportunities," Dickson remembers. "They organised practice rooms late at night and made sure that the critics came to the finals at the Queen Elizabeth Hall."
Dickson is patient when I ask her about the jazz greats on her instrument; she admires them but confesses she doesn't have a "jazz mind".
"I played in big bands when I was growing up but, to be honest, I feel more comfortable with the classical repertoire, music that is written down. I have spent a number of hours every day for the last 20 years working on it, which is more than I have with jazz."
Still, she admits that 90 per cent of most music written for her instrument is going to be influenced by jazz, citing one example in English composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, whose 2 Elegies Framing a Shout is in her repertoire. "It's almost in a category of its own. It's so naturally done you don't notice that Turnage is blurring the boundaries."
Smile, Dickson's just-released first album, with pianist Catherine Milledge, toys with boundaries and expectations. It opens with Charlie Chaplin's Smile, but more substantial pieces by Arvo Part, Ginastera and Finzi punctuate the lollipops.
"I spent about two years listening to hundreds and hundreds of pieces trying to find what would go well together. I like to think you can listen through the album and it will take you somewhere. I chose the pieces ... because they sing. There's something about the tone of the saxophone," she stresses, pointing out that it is the closest instrument to the human voice.
Lyricism may not be part of Philip Glass' musical baggage, but Thursday's concerto is a "fabulous work and very evocative".
Transcribing the piece, with the permission of the composer's agents, meant she had to convert the soloist's double-stopping into arpeggios. "However, there were no more than 10 bars to do in the whole concerto. The most important thing was those endless notes that go on and on which meant I had to learn circular breathing so I didn't leave any of them out.
"I was practising today and I felt quite healthy at the end of it. It's a bit like going to the gym; we develop strong arm muscles which can be a bit embarrassing sometimes. Not very ladylike," she adds with a laugh.
Muscles aside, it is the liquid, late-night melancholy tone of the instrument that remains the ultimate reward.
"It's the sound of the sax that has kept me going. It makes my ears prick and even when I am out shopping or driving and hear a saxophone on the radio, I can't help stopping and listening."
Performance
Who: Saxophonist Amy Dickson with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Where and when: Auckland Town Hall, Thursday, Oct 16 at 8pm
On disc: Smile, with Amy Dickson and Catherine Milledge (Sony/BMG)
