The Euphonium Concerto is a concerto written by Joseph Horovitz for euphonium and British-style brass band (or, alternatively, wind orchestra or chamber orchestra). It is considered as one of the first euphonium concertos. It was commissioned by the National Brass Band Festival with funds from the Arts Council of Great Britain. The concerto is based on the classical form and consists of 3 movements, following the traditional fast–slow–fast structure. The concerto can alternatively be played on the bassoon using the ossias in the score.
Structure The movements are as follows:
There are quite a number of tempo/mood changes in movements 1–2.
According to the composer's note, the three-movement structure "reflects a classical outlook" of concerti. In the first movement, the soloist plays well-articulated melodies intertwined with sixteenth-note runs and bold leaps. The second movement is a melodious slow movement, where the soloist plays over a simple chordal accompaniment. It contains a brief pastoral cadenza, apparently a homage to the border country. The third movement opens with a driving orchestral introduction, leading to a rondo on a "cheeky" theme introduced by the soloist. The ritornello theme is varied until an accelerating whole-tone version of it brings the concerto to a tutti cadence.
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