Premiere of Samuel Jones' Tuba Concerto

[Mark]

Here is the info: http://www.seattlesymphony.org/symphony ... ateid=1739

For those in the Seattle area, this is a must attend. For everyone else, book your flight to Seattle now. And hurry, the two performances are selling out quickly.

[Tom Holtz]

Thanks for the program notes, it's good info. Hope it's a nice piece of music. Break a leg, Chris.

[jtuba]

Is Chris doing the "Iron Man" for these performances?

[Mark]

Is Chris doing the "Iron Man" for these performances?

No, and if you have heard the concerto, you'd know why.

[Chuck Jackson]

Having conducted some of Jones' music before, and being very impressed with it, can you comment on the structure, form, tonality of the piece. The Jones music I have worked with is highly chromatic in a "Hindemith" way (chromaticism that shifts key centers at points to heighten emotional impact, not necessarily chromaticism for chromaticism's sake), but oddly tonal within that framework. His music is well crafted and very emotionally charged. I would interested into some insight you may have since there is no feasible way for me to be at the performance. Nice to see a major work come out for our humble instrument. TIA.

Chuck

[Mark]

Having conducted some of Jones' music before, and being very impressed with it, can you comment on the structure, form, tonality of the piece. The Jones music I have worked with is highly chromatic in a "Hindemith" way (chromaticism that shifts key centers at points to heighten emotional impact, not necessarily chromaticism for chromaticism's sake), but oddly tonal within that framework. His music is well crafted and very emotionally charged.

From the program notes written by Jones:

My piece takes the traditional concerto form of three movements. As in many concertos of the past century, the soloist rather than the orchestra has the first say, giving out the soaring, wide-ranging primary theme of the first movement. This is answered by virtuosic commentary from the orchestra. Later the tuba must negotiate those same passages, and some of even greater difficulty.

The second movement shows the tuba’s lyrical capability. Its opening theme, however, is interrupted by a fearful outburst in the brass, to which the soloist and each subsequent statement of the theme must react and ultimately accommodate.

The third movement, in homage to Jim Crowder, who was a Boeing aeronautical engineer, is inspired by a wind tunnel. One can clearly hear its acceleration as it groans toward its predestined speed. Once there, the tuba enters with a perpetuum mobile theme, illustrating musically the same swirls of air along a wing’s surface that Mr. Crowder illustrated visually in his work. But some turbulences need to be smoothed, so we hear the wind tunnel decelerate, and the aeronautical engineer returns to the basement workshop in his home and listens to his favorite music – Wagner’s Ring – while he mulls over ways to improve the smoothness of the flow, forging new tools, like Siegfried, in the process.

My reaction is as a tubist who will never be able to play this concerto. It is by far the hardest tuba concerto I have ever seen.

It does sound like a Samuel Jones' work. It is tonal and the various themes are for the most part melodic. If you like Jones, you will definitely like this concerto.

The first movement stays in the high register a lot. The very high register. The second movement is a little relief for the player, but not much. The third movement, just like the wind tunnel that inspired it, is very, very fast and the technical facility required is mind-boggling.

I would interested into some insight you may have since there is no feasible way for me to be at the performance. Nice to see a major work come out for our humble instrument.

Las Vegas is a short plane ride to Seatlle. You really ought to try and come. If the Thursday perfromance is out, you could fly in Saturday afternoon and back on Sunday morning.

[Chuck Jackson]

And I am sure you would pay me the $ I will lose on that very unfeasible weekend

I appreciate your thoughts. I look forward to hearing this piece and to see how it compares in regards to the rest of Jones' work. I wish Mr. Olka all the best in what seems like will be a great opportunity. I have a question: Will this piece get played on this level more than once? Will Alan Baer search it out or the myriad of other great players in the country? Will it stand the test of time or is it so hard that it has built in obsolesence? I am not trying to start a ruckus, just interested in the pieces' durability for the next 25 years.

All the best,

Chuck

[Mark]

I have a question: Will this piece get played on this level more than once? Will Alan Baer search it out or the myriad of other great players in the country? Will it stand the test of time or is it so hard that it has built in obsolesence? I am not trying to start a ruckus, just interested in the pieces' durability for the next 25 years.

I have not heard it with an orchestra yet, but for now I have to say yes. Jones wrote it with the idea that it would become an alternative to the Vaughan Williams. I'm sure Alan Baer could play it; but it's definitely not going to make it onto any high school competition lists.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed that the Seattle Symphony will record it soon.

[Mark]

Bump.

Here is the info again: http://www.seattlesymphony.org/symphony ... ateid=1739