Active since 1978, the dynamic Rova Saxophone quartet has collaborated with and commissioned from some of the world's greatest composers. Here they give a dynamic reading of Fred Frith's major composition Freedom in Fragments, which was written expressly for them and comprises a series of short compositions that can be played in whole or in part and in any given sequence. Rova has chosen the most rigorous of these, and the final sequence, created by the composer himself, gives a seamless flow to the overall listening experience. Messiaenic harmonic shifts, catchy folk melodies, complex dance rhythms and looping minimalism from one of new music's original border crossers.
