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Euphonium Virtuoso - Steven Mead (Digital Download) |
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| 1 | Harlequin | 09.29 | |
| 2 | Concerto Per Flicorno Basso | 13.42 | |
| 3 | The Playful Pachyderm | 06.46 | |
| 4 | Euphonium Concerto ... 1st Mov - Moderato | 05.07 | |
| 5 | Euphonium Concerto ... 2nd Mov - Lento | 06.54 | |
| 6 | Euphonium Concerto ... 3rd Mov - Con moto | 04.07 | |
| 7 | Pokarekare Ana | 04.10 | |
| 8 | Concerto For Cello (Gulda) 1st Mov | 05.27 | |
| 9 | Concerto For Cello (Gulda) 2nd Mov | 08.05 | |
| 10 | Concerto For Cello (Gulda) 3rd Mov | 06.41 | |
| 11 | Introduction And Tarantella | 05.38 |
When the great 19th century violinist Nicolo Paganini gave his awe-inspiring musical firework displays to astonished audiences there were those who wondered seriously if he had sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his phenomenal powers.
The modern euphonium has been with us for nearly 150 years. Plenty of time, you might think for its character to develop or even change. It is remarkable how composers and players seem to have grasped the basics of its musical nature. On the one hand it is the supremely 'well sounding' (euphonic) voice to support the singer's emotional revelations and on the other hand the euphonium's agility soon had it marked out together with the cornet as the virtuoso brass instrument 'par excellence'.
Even so, it is rare to find a modern performer who has so thoroughly mastered both sides of the euphonium's personality as Steven Mead. He sounds utterly at home in whatever he plays and his repertoire for this CD is huge and wide - ranging from original euphonium works (Joseph Horovitz , Amilcare Ponchielli, Philip Sparke) to virtuoso pieces originally written for the bassoon, the voice, the violin and cello.
