Euphonium Concerto
This work was given its world première by euphonium soloist David Childs and the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes in St David’s Hall Cardiff during the last night of the 2009 Welsh Proms. Jenkins stated, “As is my want, I’ve endeavoured to make the Concerto somewhat quirky, and ‘off-the-wall’”.
The first movement, entitled The Juggler exploits the agility and virtuosity of the euphonium in a fun context. The music is episodic beginning with a minimalist texture over which the euphonium ‘tweets’ three short calls before riffing around. The movement is broken up by a circus waltz.
A Romanza reminiscent of Karl’s Benedictus from the Armed Man: A Mass for Peace forms the second movement. It is simple music; one might almost say innocent, and naïve, celebrating conjunct melodic shapes with light harmonic accompaniment in the spirit of a tranquil folk meditation.
It Takes Two… is in an improvisatory style for the soloist. The music is in the form of a habanera-style tango, with the euphonium ‘partnering’ a number of instruments while ‘breaking out’ from time-to-time in rolling roulades. A judicious use of multiphonics rounds off the coda.
The finale, A Troika? Tidy! begins with menace before the soloist has the opportunity to exploit phenomenal technique. With a beautiful change of gear towards the end, a rapturous interlude is ushered in leading to a brief cadenza with staggering pyrotechnics in a variety of cross-rhythms conducted over the incessant chug of sleigh-bells.
On his eagerness to compose the work for David, Karl Jenkins has stated, "It's been a privilege to write for such a virtuoso performer. We had been talking about it for some time and happily it all came together in 2009. David is a wonderful musician of the highest quality and it was a joy, and, indeed, a challenge, to write a work for both him and an instrument of such beauty and agility."
Also available with full orchestral and wind band accompaniment (Boosey & Hawkes), this version for brass band received its première on November 29th 2009 in Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall performed by David Childs and the Cory Band conducted by Dr. Robert Childs.
This version, with brass band accompaniment, is a fantastic addition to the repertoire for any serious 21st-century euphonium player!