The intrinsic musical flow of the Passacaglia is the main feature which binds Hugo Siegmeth´s treatment of the music and represents the common thread along which he intertwines the classical approach, contemporary music, jazz and improvisation.

The modern Passacaglia derives from an eccentric 17th Century Spanish courtly dance known as ´pasar una calle´, to walk down a street. This form, while rigid, offers enormous compositorial freedom and thus inspired not only Baroque composers, but also those of other widely distinct eras such as Shostakovich, Brahms, A. Webern and Ligeti.

Seeking only solid musical content, Siegmeth, prasps the sound frame of the original and implants it in his own personal music terrain - "and using the saxophone, unusual in the context of the Passacaglia, manages to build a bridge for our mode of hearing, both formally and soundwise". (R. Dombrowski, SZ)

Following an interdisciplinary collaboration, Siegmeth presents "Passaccaglia", placing himself with his unusual chamber ensemble squarely in the field of tension between Baroque, contemporary classical music and jazz.

 

"Pieces by Georg Muffat are seldom heard in the Unterfahrt. Or Bach, Handel, Ligeti and other classical composers. Not until someone like Hugo Siegmeth comes along and discovers an improvisational dimension in the luminaries of the neighbouring disciplines. And because this Munich saxophonist possesss a fine sense of balance between the musical elements, he avoids the crossover trap of sympatic adaption, rather managing to transfer the sound concept of these others coherently to his own world of sound."

Review Sueddeutsche Zeitung