Music: Hoddinott Euphonium Concerto
Piano ReductionOriana Publications
Concerto for Euphonium Op. 182 - Piano Reduction
Alun Hoddinott
Published by Oriana Publications
Oriana Music presents an excellent new piano reduction of Alun Hoddinott’s Concerto for Euphonium. Despite being regarded as one of the finest major works for the instrument, the piece has been rarely performed, as it has only been available with symphony orchestra accompaniment until now.
Alun Hoddinott was famous for his love of writing concertos, composing some 20 or more throughout his career. This euphonium concerto was commissioned in 2002 by David Childs - a challenge the composer happily accepted, devising a work to stretch the player’s dexterity and powers of communication.
Its subtitle, The Sunne Rising - The King Will Ride, is taken from a poem by John Donne (1572 - 1631) and was added after the music had been completed with a touch of typical Hoddinott wit, knowing David Childs’s background as the son of an eminent euphonium player. Even though it was an after-thought, Donne's line seems to naturally encapsulate the nature of the musical journey upon which the soloist embarks.
The composer avoids the traditional division of the concerto into movements, instead dividing the work into six continuous, thematically inter-related sections that contrast moods of sombre lyricism and driving energy.
From a whispering opening section, thematic motifs begin to emerge, rising through the texture as if to evoke the sunrise. A horn-like melody leads into a galloping Presto (in 6/16 time), suggesting the image of the King's hunt. A brief Andante section provides lyrical respite before the Presto resumes, but in a more playful style. A climax is reached with a vibrantly written, tutti Andante segment. A fiendishly demanding solo cadenza then leads into a spectacular final Vivo, taking the solo instrument's technical feats to dizzying heights with flourishes and whooping glissandos.
With the huge range of tonal colour and depth of scoring in the original orchestral version, creating a successful reduction for piano may seem an incredibly challenging task, but it is one with which Oriana Publications has excelled. The music has lost none of its original character, being ingeniously translated throughout with an expert eye for detail, resulting in a challenging, yet realistic piano score.
Described by David Child’s as one of the most challenging works he has yet commissioned, in terms of technical demands and range (which spans five octaves), the piece is now far more accessible to advanced performers who wish to tackle this masterpiece of euphonium composition.
THOMAS DUNNE
.gif)
