Omaggio

Omaggio was commissioned by Steven Mead on the occasion of his 60th birthday and in memory of his father Rex. The premiere of the version for brass band took place in March 2022 in Rome with the Italian Brass Band under the direction of Filippo Cangiamilla. The world premiere for wind orchestra took place on July 6 of the same year as part of the Spanish International Tuba Euphonium Conference 2022 with the Banda municipal de música de Málaga. The concerto consists of three continuous movements linked by a recurring syncopated fifth interval. The first movement, FANTASIA, begins with this motif, which accompanies a lengthy monologue by the soloist. This is followed by a long transition by the wind orchestra (piano), which is finally joined by the soloist, who leads the music back to the opening monologue, resulting in an energetic middle section. This continues to develop until the opening material returns to introduce the second movement, BALLAD, which revolves around an expressive melody by the soloist, punctuated by accompanied cadenzas. The third movement, THE KING TRIUMPHANT, is a tribute to Steven Mead's late father Rex. The title alludes both to Rex's name (Rex is Latin and means king) and to his love of Eric Ball's masterpiece The Kingdom Triumphant. The finale is an energetic tour de force with an acrobatic 6/8 melody interrupted twice by the glorious hymn tune Helmsley, which Ball uses to great effect in The Kingdom Triumphant. A 'galloping' coda brings the work to a close.