Category: Chamber Music / Piano
Instrumentation: alto saxophone, piano
Duration: approximately 7 minutes
Publisher: ALRY Publications

Des Larmes Encadrées (Framed Tears) is a chamber work for alto saxophone and piano written for Baxter’s friend Romain Gravier, a saxophonist in the Paris-based group La Scaña del Domingo. The title translates as “Framed Tears,” reflecting the piece’s blend of melancholy, lyricism, and emotional poise.

The work belongs primarily to Baxter’s chamber catalog while also giving the piano an especially important role. Rather than treating the piano as accompaniment, Baxter makes both instruments equal partners: each takes on melodic, accompanimental, and soloistic functions. This balance gives the piece a true duo character, with the saxophone and piano sharing the expressive and structural weight of the music.

The composition is shaped by two principal themes. The first is a melancholy, bluesy idea inspired by Romain Gravier’s relaxed and carefree approach to life. The second is loosely based on the English folksong The Willow Tree, a favorite of Romain’s wife, Laurence Gravier. Because both main themes are reflective in character, Baxter introduces a more upbeat transitional theme that recurs throughout the work, bringing movement, contrast, and energy to the piece.

Critics have noted the work’s passionate character, romantic melodic impulse, modern harmonic color, and strong interaction between the two instruments. Des Larmes Encadrées is suitable for intermediate to upper-intermediate performers and fits well in saxophone and piano recitals, chamber music concerts, and contemporary classical programs seeking a lyrical, expressive duo with both emotional depth and rhythmic vitality.