Merely Sun

Riga Saxophone Quartet Merely Sun CD

Riga Saxophone Quartet's international debut featuring world premiere recordings dedicated to the ensemble by Dace Aperane, Marite Dombrovska, Rihards Dubra, Edgars Makens and Rigards Zalupe. This is an album of musical friendship where the Riga Saxophone Quartet meets with composers and like-minded performers, and five compositions grounded in poetry, dreams, the Book of Revelation, Old Town Riga streetscapes, and the art of photography come into being. The RSQ debuted on May 5, 1992, in the White Hall of the Latvian Philharmonic. Membership in the quartet has changed several times with Artis Simanis the only enduring original member. Artis Simanis received the Latvian Music Award in 2009 and the Order of the Three Stars in 2010 for his contributions to saxophone development in Latvia. With Artis at it's heart, the RSQ has developed diverse concert programming with an enormous repertoire ranging from Gabrieli and Bach to Glass and Piazzolla, and world music to jazz. The quartet appears on it's own and in conjunction with Latvia's professional orchestras and choirs, performing in Latvia's concert halls, schools, and churches. They received the Grand Music Award in 1999 for artistic achievement at the First International Saxophone Festival Saxophonia and their extensive performance commitments in Latvia. During the next decades they take part in the Latvian National Opera's production of Fruits of the Earth. The RSQ has performed in it's current configuration since 2016.