Who would you commission?

[timdicarlo]

It's a little off the beaten path, but I'd go to Tomas Kalnoky. No doubt.

And if he's not free, I'd reanimate Frank Zappa (Frankenstein Zappa? Sorry, that's lame), just to see what he'd do with it.

[Rick Denney]

I'd add Alvin Lucier, Roscoe Mitchell, "Blue" Gene Tyranny, Phillip Glass, Russell Peck, Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, Meridith Monk

I thought about Glass, whose work I admire, but I suspect that circular breathing would figure prominently in anything he did. Plus, i don't see him as a composer of solo works. The sounds he produces always seem to require integration into the whole to make any sense, which would subdue the soloist and make the work a pure ensemble piece. I figured Reich would be the same, except that Desert Music seems to me a departure from his and Glass's music-as-process roots.

When Jay Rozen arranged the commission of a work from Virgil Thompson, I recall that the price was in the handful of thousands of dollars, and that was in the early 80's. And Jay Rozen: Portrait and Fugue is anything but a concerto-length work.

Rick "who'd like to see something composed by a really high-end composer within the technical grasp of common amateurs" Denney

[Wyvern]

John Rutter - it would be lyrical

[MartyNeilan]

Philip Glass.

Philip Glass.

Philip Glass.

Philip Glass.

Philip Glass.

Philip Glass.

Philip Glass.

Philip Glass.

Philip Glass.

Philip Glass.

[tubajoe]

who'd like to see something composed by a really high-end composer within the technical grasp of common amateurs

Agreed!

[tubafatness]

Charles Wuorinen

Unless you would like a new work, this wish has already been fulfilled. There is a chamber concerto, as well as a piece that is concerto in everything but name. I'm not a particular big fan of the chamber concerto, and I don't believe the other piece has been recorded. But, he is a big name composer, and it is good that people of his stature are writing works for the tuba.

I just now thought of another name to consider: Gavin Bryars. Go this site and listen to the excerpt of his Double Bass Concerto-http://www.myspace.com/gavinbryarsmusic.

Aaron

[eupher61]

When Jay Rozen arranged the commission of a work from Virgil Thompson, I recall that the price was in the handful of thousands of dollars, and that was in the early 80's. And Jay Rozen: Portrait and Fugue is anything but a concerto-length work.

hmmm...we had Mr Thomson (no p) as a special guest at UMKC--he had attended the old Kansas City Conservatory--in the fall of '80, and he said he hadn't composed anything in a number of years and really didn't want to**. No wonder it was big bucks, and short! But, short was his style too.

**Part of it probably was his severe deafness, and all-but-total immobility.

[ZNC Dandy]

Michael Giacchino, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kalevi Aho, Kryzstof Penderecki, Philip Sparke, Derek Bourgeois, Steve Winteregg. I'll also chip in for the re-animation of Frank Zappa.

[tubashaman2]

.

[windshieldbug]

Michael Daugherty

My wife has had a piece commissioned with him for two years, with no results so far.

[LARSONTUBA]

I am really just agreeing with what has already been stated, but my thoughts are:

Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Corigliano (this would probably be incredibly challenging i.e. clarinet concerto), John Adams (I agree that a sonata or smaller scale work would be pretty cool from him), Michael Tillson Thomas ( I do like Street Song)

I also would like to hear something from Miles Davis in his Bitches Brew era.
Birth of the Cool satisfies to a certain extent, but Bitches Brew is really good stuff.

I would also like to have another piece my Barry McKimm. His first concerto is such a good piece that I would like to see a McKimm Tuba Concerto No. 2 floating around.

Just my $0.02

Andy Larson

[Tubadork]

Charles Wuorinen

Unless you would like a new work, this wish has already been fulfilled. There is a chamber concerto, as well as a piece that is concerto in everything but name. I'm not a particular big fan of the chamber concerto, and I don't believe the other piece has been recorded. But, he is a big name composer, and it is good that people of his stature are writing works for the tuba.

I just now thought of another name to consider: Gavin Bryars. Go this site and listen to the excerpt of his Double Bass Concerto-http://www.myspace.com/gavinbryarsmusic.

Aaron

yep, I was thinking of a fall scale concerto. I know the chamber concerto, I almost decided to program it, but thought better of it, I don't know the other piece you are talking about. The only other piece that I know of that had tuba in it was the trio for low instruments for tuba, bass trombone and double bass, which I have the score to somewhere.

But, Gavin Bryars, not a bad idea, hopefully it wouldn't involve the soloists being dunked into a tank of water while playing it.

Bill

[tubafatness]

Charles Wuorinen

Unless you would like a new work, this wish has already been fulfilled. There is a chamber concerto, as well as a piece that is concerto in everything but name. I'm not a particular big fan of the chamber concerto, and I don't believe the other piece has been recorded. But, he is a big name composer, and it is good that people of his stature are writing works for the tuba.

I just now thought of another name to consider: Gavin Bryars. Go this site and listen to the excerpt of his Double Bass Concerto-http://www.myspace.com/gavinbryarsmusic.

Aaron

yep, I was thinking of a fall scale concerto. I know the chamber concerto, I almost decided to program it, but thought better of it, I don't know the other piece you are talking about. The only other piece that I know of that had tuba in it was the trio for low instruments for tuba, bass trombone and double bass, which I have the score to somewhere.

But, Gavin Bryars, not a bad idea, hopefully it wouldn't involve the soloists being dunked into a tank of water while playing it.

Bill

The other piece I mentioned is entitled "Prelude to Kullervo", and the description from Mr. Wuorinen's website says it is a "Concerto for tuba and orchestra. Commissioned by Howard Shanet for the Columbia University Orchestra." Sounds interesting.

[tubajoe]

Come on you guys....lets get real:

Bootsy Collins
Tom Waits
Lemmy Kilmister
David Byrne

[eupher61]

but, with a Bootsy piece, there'd have to be several dozen people on stage...even if they aren't playing an instrument...

[BVD Press]

How do you go about approaching these composers? I would be more-than-willing to draft a letter to Mr. Adams, but if you have an approach that hwas been effective in the past, I would love to hear it.

I have always just found a phone number and called. My only real advice would be to make sure you know you would like to ask before calling.

Take care,

[Mojo workin']

Come on you guys....lets get real:

Bootsy Collins
Tom Waits
Lemmy Kilmister
David Byrne

We have a winner, folks!

If only tuba had been a part of the music of these chaps. Though, I don't know of Bootsy Collins.

[Tubanese]

Philip Sparke, Jan Van der Roost, and Eric Ewazen.