At the beginning the music was dark and brooding, a little edgy too; this gave way to a sensuous andante section, rich in tonal allusions and occasionally withdrawing into a 12-tone world. A final agitato section brought back ideas from the beginning. Long strenuous lines, flowing counterpoint - the alternation of solos, duets with tuttis created powerful and seamless music that could be intimate or dynamic.
Raymond Head reviewing 'Octet' for Tempo, Cambridge University Press
It proved to be a deeply impressive work, serious in tone throughout, and genuinely symphonic, in that at a first hearing it appeared that all the elements in the piece were related and grew naturally out of the preceding material, without at any time leading us to guess successfully what might be coming next - but when it did, the surprises were genuinely musical and entirely at one with the underlying thrust of this very fine work. It is superbly orchestrated - as befits a composer who is also a distinguished orchestral and chamber musician - and grabbed the audience from the opening bars, who followed the composer's by no means easy train of thought with close attention. This is one of the finest new symphonies by a British composer I have heard in years.
Robert Matthew-Walker reviewing Symphony No.2 for Musical Opinion and www.classicalsource.com
The evening opened with the aptly named 'The Gale of Life', a whirlwind of a piece with some meltingly beautiful melodies.
Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, The Grand Rapids Press
Albany Symphony Orchestra thrills with Sawyers 'Gale of Life' premiere in Troy. The work was certainly a loud and brassy one with swirling, angry gale-like sections that were interspersed with tender moments - one of which was exquisitely delicate.
Geraldine Freedman, The Daily Gazette
Though Sawyers writes in an atonal technique, his overture-length piece was grand and tuneful. Where modern harmonies are sometimes crunchy, this was more chewy, with sinuous writing for strings and tempos that stretched like taffy.
Joseph Dalton, Albany, New York, Times Union
Sawyers' orchestral approach is entirely his own. He translates Houseman's image of the stormy wind into a thoroughly convincing rhapsody for large orchestra. It is an extremely well-wrought and effective piece, and I enjoyed every bar. - the audience loved it.
Michael Miller, Berkshire Fine Arts
The piece (The Gale of Life) moves through three distinct sections, each marked by a well-crafted panoply of colors. It's as much about the texture as it is about melodic elements. In the middle section, as the quiet strings invited a flute to join in, it turned sublime.
B.A.Nilsson, Metroland Online Classical
Last Friday night, we had the opportunity to hear a wonderful concert of the Albany Symphony at the Troy Music Hall. A world premiere of 'The Gale of Life' by Philip Sawyers met my test of contemporary music: I want to hear it again.
William and Marjory Fuller, letters to the Editor, Berkshire Eagle.com
"a piece (Symphonic Music for Strings and Brass) exploring sonorous 20th-century harmonies complete with soaring melodies and energetic counterpoint."
Wayne Lee Gay, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"In a program of music by Mendelssohn, Lalo, Sawyers and Britten, you wouldn't expect it to be the music of Sawyers that made you sit up and pay special attention. But that's what happened... the work has emotional impact, grabbing attention and keeping it. It makes you want to hear something else by the same composer, a rare trait in new music."
Olin Chism, Dallas News
"...moments of post-Romantic lyricism in the strings as well as highly rhythmic, thickly scored center that's very much a 20th century work... it's not hard to see why Lockington chose Sawyers' piece... the audience gave Sawyers a warm reception."
Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, Grand Rapids Press
"...accessible music..."
Joan Gardner, South London Press
"...there is much to like about this music, especially in Sawyers' enterprising transformations of melodic material and in certain passages of driving complex rhythms."
Mike Greenberg, San Antonio Express-News
"...a piece that is eminently listenable, with clear structure and readily identifiable melodic and rhythmic ideas... a specifically English flavour that is most engaging."
Laurie Shulman, Musicologist