Chesterton Flowers was commissioned for a performance at a flower festival, held in the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Chesterton. The first performance was given by the ‘Equal Opportunities Bassoon Quartet’ in the thirteenth century parish church of St. Mary’s in June 1985. A live performance was subsequently broadcast on BBC Radio Oxford as part of The Oxford Music Festival Prize Winners’ Concert. This arrangement for Saxophone Quartet was first published by Spartan Press in 1989.

Scoring

The instrumention is flexible: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone, with the option of replacing the soprano with another alto.

Duration

Approximately 10 minutes.

Contents

I. Hollyhocks
II. Deadly Nightshade
III. French Marigolds
IV. Canterbury Bells