Henryk Mikolaj Górecki: Aria Op59

"An incredibly powerful work which predominantly features the tuba. The piece continually gathers momentum by the use of dynamics, increases in tempi, rhythmic diminution and the incessant rise in pitch of the melodic material. The audience is entranced by the ever growing tension that finally culminates in a monutental climax. Despite the minimalistic elements of the work the tuba player is challenged to maintain the vocal quality required by the composer. Due to the work's length and the ever rising pitch it is also a great physical challenge. The work only requires three players but is much better suited to a large acoustic due to the extremes in dynamic produced by the tuba and tam-tam. This is a vastly under played work which ahould be recognised as a significant addition to canon of professional repertoire for the tuba. "

Rating:    6/26/2005 By: matthew pankhurst