Joseph Horovitz: Euphonium Concerto (with piano score; performed with chamber orchestra)

Joseph Horovitz (1926–2022):
Euphonium Concerto / Concerto for Bassoon (1972; rev. 1991)
accompaniment arr. for chamber orchestra by composer
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[ RECORDING ]
Steven Mead, euphonium
Royal Ballet Sinfonia, chamber orchestra, conducted by composer
(from album "Joseph Horovitz: Four Concertos")
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[ MOVEMENTS ]
0:00 I. Moderato
5:09 II. Lento
11:59 III. Con moto
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[ DESCRIPTION ]
The Euphonium Concerto in C minor, composed by Austrian–born British composer Joseph Horovitz (26 May 1926 – 9 February 2022), was perhaps a first in the history of euphonium repertoire – it is commonly considered the first serious concerto composed for euphonium and brass band. Horovitz had recently composed his first work for brass band and thus he was commissioned by the UK's National Brass Band Festival with funds from the Arts Council of Great Britain to write a euphonium concerto acocmpanied by brass band. It was premièred by celebrated soloist Trevor Groom with the GUS Footwear Band which had won the World Championship the year before. The concerto is composed in a quasi-neo-classical style, staying rather tonal however with rapid shifts and slight influence from jazz.

Movement I – a brisk Moderato with many tempo changes and a well-articulated main theme, ending in a virtuosic tongued scale up to a high C.
Movement II – a calming movement with a long, flowing, pastoral melody. It contains the only short quasi-cadenza in the entire work – an elaboration on the main motif of the movement. It ends in sustained A's in the euphonium and chord changes underneath in the orchestra.
Movement III – alternating between a scherzando and pomposo mood, the movement introduces a charming theme that is repeated with many variations till the end, where a whole-tone version of the theme ends the work.
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