Alastair Penman announces new album

January 29, 2024

Alastair Penman

Alastair Penman is delighted to release his fourth studio album, Quietude. This is the second release on his Meadowbank Music label, following on from Soar (2023) which was praised by critics as “an extended, dazzling display of talent”, “an engaging and eclectic selection” and “tremendous playing throughout”.

Quietude means a state of stillness, calmness and quiet, and this album invites the listener to take time for themself, to unplug from the digital world that we live in and to find solace in the beauty of music and of nature. Even before official release, the first two tracks on the album, Rialto and Be Still have been played on The Sleeping Forecast on BBC Sounds.

The album features seven original compositions by Penman alongside eight new arrangements of well-known works ranging from Trois Gymnopédies by Erik Satie arranged for soprano saxophone and piano to Locus Iste by Anton Bruckner arranged for a choir of saxophones and clarinets. Many of the works feature unusual instrumentations, leading the listener into rich and lush, but always calming sound worlds. Rialto features an ensemble of six alto saxophones, whilst After the Fire combines A clarinet, bass clarinet and synthesisers and Lament features Penman’s signature blend of electronic and acoustic.

Alastair Penman is Professor of Saxophone at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is a City Music Foundation Artist, Park Lane Group Artist, BBC Introducing Artist, Live Music Now Artist and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. Alastair is a performing artist for Henri Selmer Paris, Vandoren UK and Buffet Crampon.

Track listing
1. Rialto – Alastair Penman 3’01
2. Be Still – Alastair Penman 4’32
3. Gymnopédie No. 1 – Erik Satie arr. Penman 3’01
4. Gymnopédie No. 2 – Erik Satie arr. Penman 2’36
5. Gymnopédie No. 3 – Erik Satie arr. Penman 2’27
6. After the Fire – Alastair Penman 3’57
7. Beau Soir – Claude Debussy arr. Penman 2’43
8. Homeward – Alastair Penman 5’40 9. Quietude – Alastair Penman 3’35
10. Lament – Alastair Penman 4’41
11. Song Without Words, Op. 30 No. 1 – Felix Mendelssohn arr. Penman 4’36
12. Song Without Words, Op. 30 No. 6 – Felix Mendelssohn arr. Penman 2’49
13. Evening Prayer – Engelbert Humperdinck arr. Penman 2’59
14. Locus Iste – Anton Bruckner arr. Penman 2’49
15. A Prayer for Peace – Alastair Penman 4’50

Alastair Penman – soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone; Bb, A and bass clarinet; piano, keyboards and MIDI programming

Produced by Alastair Penman
Recorded, edited, mixed and mastered by Alastair Penman at Meadowbank Studios, 2023

Artwork design by Aleksandar Veselić and Dragana Veselictti

Hailed as a “pioneering instrumentalist and writer” and praised for his “surpassingly beautiful music” and “undoubtedly brilliant mind”, British saxophonist Alastair Penman is a dynamic and versatile performer and composer, presenting contemporary music in new and exciting ways.