Euphonium and Piano -
virtuoso
SKU:
CY.CC2769
Composed by
Russell Scarbrough.
Comtemporary. Solo part
and Piano accompaniment.
Published by Cherry
Classics (CY.CC2769).
As the title
suggests the work dying
and dancing for Euphonium
solo and Piano
accompaniment is in two
parts, which are played
without a pause between
the two.
The
first part, an adagio, is
not necessarily meant to
be evocative of the
actual act of passing
away, but more perhaps of
the contemplation and
reflection upon one's
life as that time
approaches, and
particularly of sorrow
over regret and
disappointment. The
unsettled mood of the
music reflects this
bitterness, and stands in
contrast to the expansive
peace of the grave, heard
at the beginning and end
of the
adagio.
Dance,
with ironic wit, the
second part, is the other
side of the same coin;
perhaps humor of the
gallows describes its
spirit. At once fatalist
and mocking, it brings to
mind the words of the
ancient teacher Koheleth,
The heart of the wise is
in the house of mourning;
but the heart of fools is
in the house of
mirth.
I was
pleased to compose dying
and dancing in 2013 for
Mark Kellogg, a superb
Euphonium artist and my
former trombone
iProfessor at the Eastman
School of Music.