Salutations was commissioned by the saxophone choir Colours of Sax and their conductor Sofie Gijsbers. They requested a lively overture with different characters, in which the ensemble could showcase all its timbres. The original composition immediately had many brass band characteristics and was subsequently expanded into a concert opener for brass band.

The work is constructed from short motifs consisting of three notes: short, powerful and recognisable. The first and most important motif i...