Euphonium Concerto (2009)

Commissioned by David Thornton (Black Dyke Band)
with support from The Norwegian Composers Fund.
First performed by David Thornton and Black Dyke Band, conducted by Nick Childs at the RNCM Festival of Brass, Manchester, England the 22nd of January 2010.
Norwegian premiere at BrassWind festival in Bergen 24th of September 2010.

Spesifications:
Air + tongue:
In the first movement, players are asked to blow
without making any sounding note and double tongue the written rhythms.
Do the effect on mouth only (not through the instrument).

Voices:
In the second movement, part for ”childrens voices” (f.ex. boy sopranos or female voices) is optional.

Multiphonics:
In the 3rd movement players including the soloist are required
to sing through the instrument while playing (multiphonics).
Pitches to sing are notated relatively to the transposition of the instrument.
The effect should be a mixture of multiphonics within the same tonality.

Percussion requirements:
Percussion 1: Timpani. Also play: Claves, Cowbell, Bongo, Glockenspiel, Tubular bells (*), Cymbals: crash + ride

Percussion 2: Tambourine, Cowbell, Snare drum, Vibraphone (*), Tom-toms (3),
Whip, Cymbals: susp. cym (3 diff. sizes) + ride + Hi-hat

Percussion 3: Xylophone, Marimba, Vibraphone (*), Tubular bells (*), Hi-hat, Triangle

(*) same instrument

Duration: 20´

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When Euphonium star David Thornton commissioned me to write an euphonium concerto for him to be performed with Black Dyke Band, I immediately new that I was going to write a three movement concerto, following the classical fast-slow-fast scheme.
It starts with a quite playful rhythmic structure: the new world record in 100 meters (sprint race) world record 9.58.
I was watching TV when Usian Bolt won the title and, and like everybody else I was just amazed!

The first movement is called ”air”.

The second movement is called ”blue”.
Blue is not only a colour, it can also be a kind of feeling that has something to do with melancholy.
It can also be interpreted as blue notes, as in blues, or quarter-tones as I use them in the trombone-parts in places. 

While planning this part of the concerto, I was reading Michael Endes "The Never Ending Story".
I suddenly realized that I had to ask for ”voices of children” (boys choire/children´s choire, can be performed by female voices).
I also knew that this would be a kind of strange request in a piece for euphonium and brass band. But I just had to.
The part is optional, I guess it has to be..

The soloist starts with a melody in big leaps, interpreting the numbers from the first movement as intervals. After the opening sections, you should be able to hear something that might reminds you of blues, before the band pick up the opening theme in a quite massive section that leads first to a short cadenza, and then a new cadenza, a bit longer than the first one.

The third movement is called ”ice”.

I had a cold landscape in mind, surrounded by rocks.
There are people in it, trying to sing. The soloist has to sing and play at the same time, creating multiphonics.
The soloist is joined by other players doing the same effects. Finally the soloist start to ”slide on the ice” so to speak. Fast semiquavers (16-notes) all the way to the end.

Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen


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Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen (1964)
Aagaard-Nilsen is educated from the University of Bergen and Bergen
Music Conservatory. He established himself in the Bergen area by the
end of the 1980´s as a composer, arranger and conductor.
His list of works includes many compositions and arrangements for both
brass- and wind band.

For more information: www.torsteinaagaardnilsen.no