Johan de Meij: UFO Concerto (2012)

UFO Concerto is Johan De Meij’s first solo work for euphonium and it consists of five movements that are thematically related.

 

I Andante – Con moto

II Giocoso – Vivo

III Andante cantabile

IV Vivace

V Alla Marcia – Vivace

 

Jason Ham, former solo-euphonium player with the West Point Band (USA), initiated the commission of UFO Concerto and invited David Childs and Euphonium Foundation UK to be part of the consortium. David Childs gave the work’s world première performance in its brass band form with the Cory Band, conducted by his father Robert Childs at the RNCM Festival of Brass in Manchester (UK) during January 2012. The following month, Jason Ham gave the world première of the wind version in Baltimore (USA) with the Peabody Wind Ensemble, conducted by Harlan Parker.

 

David later recorded the wind version on Extreme Beethoven CD with the Banda de Lalín, the brass band version on Out of this World CD, released by Cory Band under Dr. Robert Childs, and gave the première performance of UFO in a new version for euphonium and symphony orchestra with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on July 25, 2015.

 

Dutch composer and conductor Johan de Meij (1953) received his musical training at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, where he studied trombone and conducting. His award-winning oeuvre of original compositions, symphonic transcriptions and film score arrangements has garnered him international acclaim and have become permanent fixtures in the repertoire of renowned ensembles throughout the world. His Symphony No. 1 The Lord of the Rings was awarded the prestigious Sudler Composition Prize and has been recorded by myriad ensembles including The London Symphony Orchestra, The North Netherlands Orchestra, The Nagoya Philharmonic and The Amsterdam Wind Orchestra. His Symphony No. 2 The Big Apple, Symphony No. 3 Planet Earth, Symphony No. 4 Sinfonie der Lieder as well as his solo concertos, T-Bone Concerto (trombone), UFO Concerto (euphonium) and Casanova (cello) have been enthusiastically received at many of the world’s finest venues.