my second concerto was commissioned by a good friend of mine, Ashley Gulbranson, who is a doctoral student at UC-Boulder. She's a pioneer in encouraging recovery from and education in focal dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes loss of control in certain muscles, in this case muscles of the face. Having recovered from this several years ago, Ashley is currently working on a project commissioning myself and 4 other composers to write works that cater to horn players who are recovering from it. She intends to record these and make an album. The theme of the album relates to the Phoenix, which we all know is a mythological bird that can cause resurrection. Thus, the subtitle "Restoration" seemed fitting.
So that's what I had to do. In writing the horn part, I had to limit range, leaps and tonguing speed of the solo horn, and make sure the solo horn didn't share entrances with other instruments. I think I pulled it off pretty well, but I'll let you guys be the judge of it when she records it in March. A nice coincidence of this project is that this same solo can cater to younger horn players, like advanced high schoolers and college players who aren't as adept at range and flexibility, yet can tackle the musical challenge. That was me when I was a high schooler and college freshmen...I would've loved to have a piece like this to prepare.
I plan to make a piano reduction of this soon, and I'll make it available for sale in my store. In the meantime, check out my other horn concerto...hint, hint.
Take care and value music.