Alchemy – Euphonium Concerto

Alchemy — Concerto for Euphonium

Alchemy draws upon the ancient elements of Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury — the three “primes” of early alchemical practice — to create a demanding and vividly expressive concerto for euphonium and piano. Each movement captures the symbolic essence of its element, taking the listener on a journey through transformation and change.

1. Salt — The concerto opens with Salt, a fluid and restless movement that conceals its technical demands beneath a flowing surface. Close, shifting harmonies alternate with sharper, rhythmic passages, creating an atmosphere of constant motion. At its core lies a fierce cadenza, testing the full range of the soloist’s agility and control. In alchemical tradition, Salt represents the body and the power of preservation — here, musical ideas crystallise and dissolve in quick succession.
2. Sulphur — Sulphur turns inward, exploring the euphonium’s lyrical and dramatic voice. Beginning and ending in a hushed whisper, the movement grows and contracts like a drifting cloud of vapour. Richly tonal and steeped in Romantic colour, it moves from delicate introspection to strident, impassioned outbursts. Sulphur, the symbol of spirit and combustion, finds its reflection in the music’s shifting emotional heat.
3. Mercury — The final movement, Mercury, is a quicksilver scherzo — light, mercurial, and constantly in motion. Depicting liquid mercury darting across a laboratory bench, the music is playful, unpredictable, and demands absolute precision. It brings together the elements of the concerto in a sparkling, kinetic conclusion, leaving nothing static for long.