Contact – for Alto Saxophone and Piano

This 14-minute work was co-commissioned by a consortium of 19 saxophone/piano duos. Matheson cites the irony that humans throughout time find new ways to connect with each other, while distancing themselves in other ways. We reach out across great distances and time, yet supplant the magical, physical presence of another living being. Contact is an exploration of this impulse to connect, and of the paradoxes inherent in our efforts to make the world smaller. Contact is lyrical then severe, gentle then brutal – a microcosm of our interactions with others. For advanced performers Dur.: c. 13′