CRO Suite - Croatian Suite (HR Suita - Hrvatska suita), Op. 49 for Alto-Saxophone and Piano was commissioned by and dedicated to my dear friend and colleague Tong Yang - Chinese saxophonist and professor at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, on the occasion of his performance at the 18th World Saxophone Congress 2018 in Zagreb (Croatia) where he premiered it alongside Croatian pianist Ivan Batoš. The Suite is crafted in 8 brief movements which are to evoke sounds, rhythms, colors and memories from different parts of my home country. The opening „Drmeš“ gives an energetic dance introduction, followed by „Ganga“ whose dissonant force and use of quarter tones I found very suitable to sound of saxophone. The „Invocation“ explores various acoustic phenomena which occur primary from relation and position between the two instruments – piano and saxophone, with heavy use of extended techniques in both. In idea it evokes something that could have formed part of an imaginary rural ancient Slavic ritual of adoring the Earth, nature, or mythical spirits and beings – something which may be still present in our collective (un)consciousness. In Xmas canon I re-transformed one of my favorite carols „U to vrijeme godišta“ to create a special warm rustic atmosphere of typical Croatian home. „Istriana“ takes the inspiration from traditional instrument „dvojnice“ which is to be found in the peninsula of Istria and is characterized by rapid virtuosic melisma and intervals of the seconds. A certain hypnotic trance in which is provoked in the listener is being cut off by dark bells in piano, above whose murmur a distant echo of the motif from Jakov Gotovac's „Symphonic Kolo“ is heard in tremolos of the saxophone. The piano stays silent in the following „Invocation II“ which serves as a saxophone cadenza, but plays an important role as an auxiliary acoustic extension of the saxophone. The popular song from the Zagorje region „Lepe ti je Zagorje zelene“ serves as the main theme of the joyful finale which resembles the traditional fair scenery where people gather to have a good time and celebrate a festivity.