Blues

This piece was composed at the request of Harri Lidsle. The proposed instrumentation of two tubas with a string quartet and pianoforte was a source of consternation to me, since a single tuba can easily balance, in terms of dynamics, a full symphony orchestra playing in tutti. Following an elongated period of reflection, I decided to resolve this "balance" issue by adding yet another challenge: I called the piece "Blues" and created two independent melodies (one for each tuba) that follow each other closely, thereby creating, in a virtual sense, a single melodic line.

Vartan Adjemian