Sonata for Tuba and Piano was written in 2021 for the Canadian tuba player Dave Kutz (Principal Tuba player of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra) and is dedicated to him.

The work is in three movements, Prelude, Intermezzo and Rondo.

Prelude is bright and fast with a strong rhythmic pulse. The various articulations written in this movement are very important to fully portray the musical character which changes between being light and giocoso to much more strident and forceful. There is an extended cadenza at the end of the movement for the solo tuba based on elements heard earlier.

Intermezzo begins with a slow funeral march played by the piano before the tuba plays an expressive song. These two ideas make up most of the fabric of this movement, but there are also some jazz elements in Intermezzo which should be played with a freer and more improvised feel.

Rondo is a quirky fast movement which needs to be played very cleanly and (as in the first movement) with close attention to the articulations. The rondo theme is first heard at the beginning of the movement played by the tuba and then returns in a few different guises. In contrast to this there is long, slow tune played by the muted tuba played over a busy ostinato in the piano in the middle of the movement. The rondo theme then returns which leads into the coda.

Please note: There are 2 different mutes required in this piece. A tin mute in the second movement and a fibre mute in the third.

See below for a soundfile of Sonata for Tuba and Piano