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JOHNSTONE – Sonata for Solo TENOR SAXOPHONE (‘Captain Walker’s Tomb’)

Other Identification:
On November 11th, 1943, Captain Walker and his co-pilot, Crow, were flying their Mosquito aircraft over southern France when they were hit by German anti-aircraft batteries near Toulouse. Walker therefore decided to fly over the Pyrenees and land on the plains of the Ebro River valley in Spain, which was a neutral zone in World War II.
Almost reaching their target, the plane caught fire, and they had to bail out. First, the co-pilot, Crow, landed on the SOS from the Catholic King and was saved; then Walker jumped out, with such bad luck that his parachute caught in the tail of the plane and he was dragged down, crashing near Peña.
The residents of Peña, who were honouring their patron saint, Saint Martin, that very day, saw everything as they left church. They immediately went to the crash site, but sadly could only give the body of the English commander a Christian burial in the town cemetery, where he rests ever since. Johnstone’s Sonata for Tenor Saxophone tells this story.

Movements or sections:
It is written in four movements.
The first, moderato (molto), is a preparatory movement; at times calm and at others intense, it shows the tension of operating in a war.
The second, allegro, describes the plane’s mission with the adrenaline of its occupants at 100%.
The Fantasia, the third movement, is a rapid succession of events, from the hostile fire, a false calm afterward, the distress of the plane’s breakdown and fire, and the parachute jumps.
The last movement, almost a funeral march, refers to Peña, Navarre, the final resting place of Captain Walker, a place for eternity.
Duration – about 11′ 30″
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1 PDF, with all music and information notes

Instrumentation:
Solo Tenor Saxophone

Approximate difficulty:
Difficult.

Dedicatee of this presentation (if applicable):
The Navarre saxophonist Sergio Eslava.

Links (Audio – Visual), and known performances given by:
Premiere – 2nd Navarre Contemporary Music Festival ‘NAK’
Civivox Condestable, Pamplona
September 12, 2016
Performed by the dedicatee to an absolutely full hall!.

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