Wilson - So Softly for saxophone quartet

I had the idea for So softly (1992) after someone remarked on the tone of my voice. Cast in four sections, the rhythm of the outer ones has the rise and fall of breathing. The piece itself is mostly gentle, almost like a lullaby, with a sense of appearing from, and disappearing into nothingness.

So softly was written at the request of British jazz legend Stan Sulzman and first performed by a quartet which included Sulzman, Evan Parker, Julian Argüelles and Ray Warleigh.

Ian Wilson