Summer Triangle

Well-known Japanese saxophonist, Masato Kumoi, commissioned this work after hearing composer Yukiko Nishimura’s popular band work, Star Ship. His request was for a new solo alto saxophone and band piece that included the same main theme. The composer drew inspiration for Summer Triangle from familiar astronomical geometry: an imaginary triangle drawn on the northern hemisphere’s celestial sphere, with its defining vertices at Altair, Deneb and Vega, the brightest stars in the three constellations of Aquila, Cygnus and Lyra, respectively. The movement titles represent each of these stars: 1. Aquila, 2. Lyra (Star Ship) and 3. Cygnus.