Saxophonist Richard Hodges will perform with pianist John Forconi at the Unitarian Church of Princeton Feb. 24.
By: Jillian Kalonick
When French composer Charles Koechlin heard a song he didn’t like, he changed it. Following this creative conviction, classical saxophonist Richard Hodges selected a Koechlin composition and made the piece his own.
Mr. Hodges’ admiration of Koechlin’s innovation led him to title his debut album of French saxophone pieces The Road Not Taken, a tribute to Koechlin’s refusal to bend to trends in his time.
"The thing that Koechlin instilled in people was the thought of individuality," says Mr. Hodges, who will play Koechlin’s "14 Pièces" as part of his repertoire with pianist John Forconi at the Unitarian Church of Princeton Feb. 24.
Mr. Hodges discovered Koechlin when, as a student, he heard about some of the Frenchman’s compositions and was told they were not worthwhile. Upon discovering Koechlin wrote extensively for the saxophone, he contacted Koechlin’s estate to obtain the rights to one of his compositions.
"I received a piece of music free and a handwritten note from his son (Yves Koechlin). It was a very gracious letter. I wrote him back and flew to Paris and interviewed him," Mr. Hodges says. "That was pretty exciting."
Acting on an idea by Mr. Forconi, Mr. Hodges wanted to take "14 Pièces," a composition written for flute, and arrange it for saxophone. "I asked Koechlin’s son, ‘How do you think your father would feel if I took a piece of his music and wrote it for another instrument?’ He said he thought it was fine," recounts Mr. Hodges.
Koechlin’s body of work indeed suggests this flexibility, a lack of concern for any hard-and-fast rules about musical composition. Born in 1867, he studied at the Paris Conservatory and became known mostly for his work as a theorist and a teacher. However, Koechlin differentiated himself by creating his own unique sound, concentrating on instrumental color and non-traditional harmonic structure.
"In the late-19th century, there was a conscious move away from the popularity of Germanic traditions. The music on ‘The Road Not Taken’ is a direct result of that," Mr. Hodges says. "The composers decided to be themselves and not imitate each other it led them to a lot of wonderful things."
He has included works by Paul Bonneau, Claude Pascal, Henri Sauguet and Pierre Max Dubois on the album, along with Koechlin’s "14 Pièces," which Mr. Hodges calls "nice, charming little pieces. They are so complete musically that they were a real pleasure."
His devotion to classical saxophone alone demonstrates his own path on "the road not taken."
"I play a concert and people say, ‘Oh, wow you can do that.’ They’re still sort of discovering how this music is and what this instrument can do," Mr. Hodges says. In February 1999, his sold-out recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall helped establish the place of classical saxophone as well.
"It was a very exciting experience, the kind of thing that you would love to do every day," he says.
Mr. Hodges seems to love what he does every day. He is the conductor of the wind symphony for the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey and teaches in a Princeton-area studio.
"Many times when I’m teaching somebody, I’ll find that I’m talking about myself," says Mr. Hodges, who has served on the faculties of Indiana University, Columbia University and the University of Mississippi. "The students definitely benefit from the playing experience, and I benefit from the teaching experience."
Koechlin also benefited from teaching, tutoring two members of "Les Six," a group of prominent French composers. He seemed to carry his instruction to those who did not request it, however. Among his most interesting compositions are those he wrote for scenes in films, when he did not care for the existing music.
"He would go to the movies, hear music and say he didn’t like it, then time the scene and go write a pieces of music that would fit it," Mr. Hodges says. He paid tribute to Hollywood icons as well, with works like "Five Dances for Ginger [Rogers]" and "Epitaphe de Jean Harlow," both from 1937. He also created compositions around literary works Koechlin’s most ambitious work is Le Livre de la Jungle (The Jungle Book), a massive orchestral cycle based on the Rudyard Kipling novel.
Despite the compositional niches he created, Koechlin never carved out his own place as a composer. Mr. Hodges knows why, and the reason only the music mattered: "He was a good composer, teacher, he was at the center of all these things, but why wasn’t he famous? He wasn’t interested in fame. He was only interested in who he was."
Richard Hodges and John Forconi perform at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, 50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, Feb. 24, 4 p.m. Tickets cost $15. For information, call (609) 275-9195. On the Web: www.richardhodges.com. CD available at Barnes & Noble, West Windsor, and Amazon.com