RASCHÈR SAXOPHONE QUARTET
THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA | 2019-2020 43
Since its formation in 1969, the Raschèr Saxophone
Quartet has appeared regularly at the major concert
halls in Europe, Asia and the United States:
Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center New York, Kennedy
Center Washington D.C., Opera Bastille Paris,
Royal Festival Hall London, Philharmonie Cologne,
Finlandia Hall Helsinki, Concertgebouw Amsterdam,
Schauspielhaus Berlin, Musikverein Vienna,
Tonhalle Zürich, Parco della Musica Rome, Dewan
Filharmonik Petronas Kuala Lumpur, and National
Concert Hall Taipei, among others. The Vienna Zeitung
hailed the quartet as the “Uncrowned Kings of
the Saxophone” and a critic from Die Welt claimed,
“If there were an Olympic discipline for virtuoso
wind playing, the Raschèr Quartet would definitely
receive a gold medal.”
The ensemble carries on a tradition established in
the 1930s by the pioneer of the classical saxophone
and founding member of the quartet Sigurd Raschèr,
who animated many composers to write music especially
for him. In a similar fashion, the quartet has
inspired over 350 composers to dedicate music to
them, including Aho, Berio, Bergman, Bialas, Dean,
Denhoff, Donatoni, Firsowa, Franke, Glass, Gubaidulina,
Halffter, Kagel, Kaipainen, Kancheli, Keuris,
de Raaff, Maros, Moe, Nilsson, Nordgren, Nørgard,
Rosenblum, Raskatov, Sandström, Stucky, Terzakis,
Tüür, Wuorinen, Xenakis, and Chen Yi. All of these
composers have shared an enthusiasm for the four
musicians’ unique homogeneous tone quality, virtuosity
and dynamic interpretation of new and old
music. Regarding their interpretation of Bach, the
well-known German musicologist Ulrich Dibelius
wrote, “When the Raschèr Quartet plays Bach, the
music takes on a seraphic aura—as if the organ and
the string quartet had come together.”
Numerous composers have been fascinated with
the combination of the Raschèrs and orchestra,
which has resulted in more than 40 new works for
that combination as well as invitations from many
of the world’s leading orchestras, including the
Gewandhaus Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden, Symphony
Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio Orchestra,
Bergen Philharmonic, American Composer’s Orchestra,
Saint Cecilia National Academy Orchestra
Rome, Gulbenkian Orchestra Lisbon, Malaysian
National Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Pilharmonique
Strasbourg, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra,
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Residentie Orchestra
of the Hague, Berlin Sinfonie Orchestra, Scottish
Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra,
Philharmonisches Orchester Kiel, Ostrobothnian
Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra,
Tapiola Sinfonietta, Camerata Bern, Vienna
Symphony, BBC London Symphony, SWR Baden-
Baden, MDR Orchestra Leipzig, Radio-Sinfonie-
Orchester Stuttgart, Radio-Sinfonie Orchestra Cologne,
I Fiamminghi and the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle.
In addition to the Raschèr Quartet’s numerous
solo recitals and collaborations with the world’s
leading orchestras, the quartet has performed
with many various instrumental and vocal combinations,
including Christain Lindberg, the Kroumata
Percussion Ensemble, the London Voices,
the West German Radio Choir, the Rias Chamber
Choir, the Finnish Radio Choir, the Belgian Radio
Choir, the Icelandic National Cathedral Choir, and
the Netherlands Chamber Choir. Numerous composers
such as Luciano Berio, Erkki-Sven Tüür,
Bernd Franke, Stefan Thomas, Giya Kancheli,
Maricio Kagel and Sofia Gubaibulina have been
inspired to contribute works for the Raschèrs in
these combinations.
The Raschèr Quartet is a musical democracy.
Therefore, in contrast to many other chamber ensembles,
the quartet has no leader.