"Illuminations" () "Sunrise Ballad" "Chasing Radiance" "Solar Rings" Hemke, saxophone, with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, William Boughton conducting Recorded at Woolsey Hall, New Haven, Connecticut, February 27, 2014 Commissioned as a retirement gift to Fred Hemke by current and former students; the composer, Thomas, had been Hemke's colleague at Northwestern From the album, A Portrait of Augusta Read Thomas, Nimbus Records (CD) (2014); Advocacy for B tenor saxophone In a traditional modern saxophone quartet — B soprano, E alto, B tenor, and E baritone saxophone — repertoire and popularity for solo classical was, and still is, dominated by B soprano and E alto saxophone. Bucking the trend, Hemke spent time focusing on the B tenor as a classical solo instrument, as evidenced by the release of his 1971 solo album, Music for Tenor Saxophone. In orchestral music, the tenor is known as one of the three saxophone voices in Ravel's Boléro — originally performed by two saxophonists, one on E sopranino and one on tenor doubling on B soprano. Recordings by tenor saxophone virtuoso James Houlik and others notwithstanding, classical tenor saxophone recordings make up a small portion of the classical saxophone repertoire and discography universe. Selected discography Solo recordings Contest Music for Saxophone, Lapider Records M 249-04, distributed by H. & A. Selmer, Elkhart (LP) (1962) (stereo) (LP) (mono) (cassette) (mono) (LP) (mono) (LP) (LP) (LP) James Jacobs Edmonds (1931–2002), piano Hemke performed on a Selmer Mark VI Side 1 Matrix N° XCTV-87627 (mono) Matrix N° RG 576A (stereo) Side 2 Matrix N° XCTV-87628 (mono) Matrix N° RG 576A (stereo) Music for Tenor Saxophone, Brewster Records BR 1204 (LP) (1971); Milton Lewis Granger (born 1947), piano Album cover art: Fred Hemke Notes by Charles (Chuck) Brewster Hawes, PhD (born 1945) Sonata, for tenor saxophone and piano, by James Di Pasquale A Ballad in Time and Space, by William Duckworth Poem, for tenor saxophone and piano, by Walter Hartley Music for Tenor Saxophone and Piano, by Martin William Karlins The American Saxophone, Brewster Records BR 1203 (LP) (1971); Milton Lewis Granger (born 1947), piano Album cover art: Fred Hemke Notes by Alan Burrage Stout (born 1932) Concerto, for alto saxophone, by Ingolf Dahl Farewell, by Warren Benson Concerto, for alto saxophone, Karel Husa Aeolian Song, by Warren Benson Music for Tenor Saxophone (1971) and The American Saxophone (1971) was Re-issued as a compilation under the title: The American Saxophone,