Lee Bracegirdle’s SSO colleague, Scott Kinmont (Associate Principal Trombone) suggested in 2003 that Lee compose a solo work for Euphonium, an instrument that he plays with as much passion and verve as the trombone.

Scott has bemoaned for many years the fact that this instrument, most often employed in the brass band medium, has been so neglected within the genre of the symphonic orchestra.

Now Lee's new concerto will be premiered by Scott on February 27 and 28 accompanied by their own Sydney Symphony as part of the orchestra's 2008 "Meet the Music" concert series.

These concerts will be directed by the young Australian conductor Matthew Coorey.

Also on the Program

Bartók’s scandalous Miraculous Mandarin is a story of lust, murder and the supernatural, set in a strange foreign city and painted in lurid colours by one of the masters of 20th-century music.

Both Rameau and Ravel drew inspiration from the East although living more than 200 years apart. The exotic locales of Les Indes galantes – a Turkish garden – are brought to life by Rameau, a favourite composer of the court of Louis XV.

In Valley of the Bells, dozens of bells resound across the country-side in intricate patterns reminiscent of the Balinese gamelan, emphasised by Percy Grainger’s inventive orchestration, which spotlights Grainger’s beloved ‘tuneful’ percussion.

Conductor: Matthew Coorey
Euphonium: Scott Kinmont

RAMEAU Les Indes galantes: Suite
BRACEGIRDLE Euphonium Concerto WORLD PREMIERE
RAVEL orch. GRAINGER The Valley of the Bells
BARTÓK The Miraculous Mandarin: Suite

When: 27th and 28th Feb 6.30pm
Where: Sydney Opera House
Tickets: from $55*. Concessions available. $32* for 30yrs and under. C reserve only. *Booking fee may apply