Vaughan Williams, Ralph - Concerto for Tuba - I. Allegro Moderato

A custom streaming practice/rehearsal piano track for Concerto for Tuba - I. Allegro Moderato,
by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Ralph Vaughan Williams essentially put the tuba on the map as a serious solo voice when he wrote this concerto in 1954. Before this piece, the instrument was mostly relegated to holding down the bass line in the back of the orchestra. He composed it specifically for Philip Catelinet, the principal tuba player of the London Symphony Orchestra, and it demands surprising agility alongside a massive singing tone. The first movement jumps right into a bouncy, march-like energy that shows off exactly how nimble the instrument can be in the right hands.

🎹 Thoughts From the Bench: Okay so one of my main thoughts with this piece is for the pianist (in this case myself) - maintaining the strict tempo through the metric modulations is a task, whenever I switch to the 6/8 I always want to tumble forward a little bit (and I've heard that same issue with any number of pianists over the years 👀). For you, my dear soloist, we need maximum articulatory contrasts from section to section. The opening is a weighty proclamation as you set the mood, but as soon as we hit that first cantabile after square 2 it's all on you to add the lyricism and soaring melodies the piece requires - your orchestra (me) is still staccato there, so all the sustain and legato is courtesy of the soloist!