Edward Gregson

Arranged for Horn in F and piano by the composer. The original version of this work is for Horn and Brass Band. This work was commissioned in 1970 by the British Federation of Brass Bands.

Full Score-The Horn Concerto was written in 1971 and was the first of the ten concertos Gregson has composed to date. It is dedicated to the English horn player Ifor James who died in 2004 and was originally written for brass band. However in 2013 Gregson was asked by Paul Klein Principal Horn of the Ulster Orchestra and BBC Northern Ireland to undertake an orchestral version for him.  Gregson decided to score the concerto for a late Haydn sized orchestra with the addition of a percussionist to add some colour to the texture. The concerto takes as its starting point the Mozartian model namely a sonata form opening movement a song-like slow movement and a jaunty rondo finale. The opening movement opens with a strident motif built on rising fourths announced by the soloist and answered by the orchestra. This pattern of ‘question/answer’ continues until a climactic moment breaks the tension and is followed by a lyrical second subject announced by the soloist over undulating rhythmic patterns on strings. The music is developed and recapitulated from these ideas with the lyrical idea returning via solo clarinet with horn answering in canon. The movement ends with the strident fourths this time in inversion. The slow movement is in tertiary form and opens with an expansive melody from the soloist over a repetitive harmonic and melodic pattern. This is expanded and developed building all the while in intensity until it is interrupted by cadenza-like passages on the horn and muted brass. After a brief climax the music subsides into a moment of emotional serenity before the opening melody returns this time on solo oboe with the horn interweaving its own answering melodic lines. The rondo finale is more light-hearted in mood with a catchy 6/8 tune at its heart. It is twice interrupted first by an idea built on long held chromatic notes from the soloist against a highly rhythmic backdrop (wind brass and snare drum) then by a slower more thoughtful melodic idea. However

This work is dedicated to John Fletcher, who gave the first performance on 24 April 1976. The concerto is in three movements, the first in sonata-form shell with two contrasting themes. There is a reference made in the development section to the opening theme of Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto. Set as part of the ABRSM Tuba Syllabus. / Tuba

For Cornet And Piano Reduction POD-Edward Gregson's Cornet Concerto. Reduction for Cornet and Piano. The Cornet Concerto was commissioned by the Black Dyke Band especially for their principal cornet Richard Marshall with funding generously provided by Arts Council England. The first performance was given on 30 April 2016 in Le Nouveau Siècle Concert Hall Lille France by Richard Marshall with Black Dyke Band conducted by Nicholas Childs. The first UK performance was given by the same performers on 10 July 2016 at The Royal Hall Harrogate as part of the 2016 Harrogate International Festival. Duration: 17 minutes.