Performed by The Troubled Euphs (audio recording by Patrick Yeh)

The bullet train system, or Shinkansen, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan first opening in 1964. With a maximum operating speed of 200 mph, and even faster speeds achieved in test runs, bullet trains are certainly an impressive example of technological advancements and innovation of transportation. Bullet Train for euphonium trio begins with a sparsely orchestrated introduction, representing the train sitting idle at the station. The momentum quickly picks up in pace with polyrhythms and interlocking melodic lines. The fast tempo and driving nature of the piece continue non-stop all the way until the final chord.

Sheet music available here: www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p6/Bull…82021%29.html

Copyright © 2021 Ian Lester

Bullet Train - Ian Lester

Performed by The Troubled Euphs (recorded by Patrick Yeh)

Notes from the arranger:

"Franz Schubert’s well-known lied is based off of the poem Erlkönig by Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe. The story depicts a father riding through a forest on horseback carrying his son home. The son repeatedly complains of the Erlkönig or Elf King who is whispering to him, trying to take him away, but the father suggests what the son is experiencing is only the wind and “old grey willow gleaming”. By the time the father realizes what is truly happening, it is too late. The son dies in his arms, having been taken by the Erlkönig.
As a self-proclaimed fan of horror and all things spooky, I have always adored this composition for its ominous tone, story, and sound, as well as its use of text painting. Here, I have arranged Erlkönig for three euphoniums. The iconic eighth note triplets originally in the piano part representing the galloping horse are present throughout the entire work, constantly being passed around between all three euphoniums. The roles of father, son, and Erlkönig are also passed around the ensemble, with expressive markings indicating which character is speaking."

Sheet music available here: www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p24/Erl…ium_Trio.html

Copyright © 2022 Ian Lester

Erlkonig - Franz Schubert/arr. for euphonium trio by Ian Lester

Performance by the Troubled Euphs

Against All Odds was written for the Troubled Euphs euphonium trio in late 2022. The work was inspired by the many cases throughout history of people surviving the seemingly un-survivable. Two specific instances that came to mind were the separate stories of Kamel Abdel Rahman and Phineas Gage. Both were impaled through the head in horrific accidents yet survived against all odds.

Sheet music available here: www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p32/Aga…ium_Trio.html

Copyright © 2023 Ian Lester

Against All Odds - Ian Lester

Performed by The Troubled Euphs

Notes from the composer:

"Cartridge Trio started as a piece to showcase the lyrical side of the Euphonium, something my friend Ian Lester had bemoaned to me one evening over text. As I started working on the piece and showed the scraps to him, he made the offhand comment that it sounded a bit like old-fashioned video game music, that nostalgic 8-bit that populated our childhoods as handheld video games took solid grasp of our imaginations. So I went with that.
The piece is pretty much divided into three-ish sections. The first is directly inspired by the area called "Lavender Town" in the original Pokémon games. The creepy, off-kilter but somehow playful atmosphere was something I liked about the music as a kid. The second is a more general "water-level." Something that was the bane of many a young child's existence which has kind of become a meme in modern internet culture. (Hopefully my water level is not equally as head-ache inducing.) The final section is that of a battle. You've gotten this far! Only gotta get that one critical hit... then finally! Victory! They do the quaint little happy dance before it's off to the next level."

Sheet music can be purchased here: https://www.aarynsrhmusic.com/store/p11/cartridge-trio.html

Cartridge Trio - Aaryn S. Ricucci-Hill

Performed by The Troubled Euphs

Notes from the arranger:

"In this setting for three euphoniums of the gorgeous Irish folk song Carrickfergus, the main melody gets passed around between the three performers before increasing in speed and intensity with a British Brass Band-inspired "Joyous" development section. The piece ends with an ethereal restatement of the main melody."

Sheet music available here:https://www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p33/Carrickfergus_%282022%29_-_Arranged_for_Euphonium_Trio.html

Copyright © 2022 Ian Lester

Carrickfergus - Trad,/arr. for euphonium trio by Ian Lester

Arranged for euphonium trio and performed by the Troubled Euphs with the permission of the composer and publisher.

Notes from the composer: 

"Scenes from the Bayou was written in 2016 on a commission from Dr. James Boldin for his trio, the Black Bayou Brass. This piece is a collection of short programmatic scenes that portray various times of day, animals, and scenery at the lush Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana. The first movement, “Morning on the Bayou,” begins in calm stillness as birds slowly wake and begin singing. Bird calls are imitated with trills and sixteenth notes that oscillate between two notes. A major tonality in 6/8 time pervades the middle section of the movement as all the wildlife in the refuge go about their morning. The movement ends with a slow,  rhythmically augmented version of the opening as we settle in for the remainder of the day. Lunch time takes place in the second movement, “Chasing Prey,” as a quick-paced predator pursues small prey in hopes of a meal. You can hear the winding path of the chase and draw your own conclusions at the end.  “Bayou Boardwalk,” the third movement, employs a sweet swing that pays tribute to Louisiana's rich jazz heritage. This music accompanies a stroll down a wooden boardwalk in the park, under the trees and by the lake. One of the many common sights in bayous of the south is the haunting Cypress tree. The fourth movement, “Cypress Trees,” evokes the gauzy imagery of tangled roots, hanging moss, and tall canopies. A perpetual 8th note ostinato runs through the movement, representing the mesmerizing calm of the water, while long sustained lines portray the mystic beauty of the tall trees. 
The day in the Bayou ends with a sunset: “Fire in the Sky.” Strikingly vivid colors of pink, orange, and red flash across the sky in an end-of-day fanfare."

Sheet music to Scenes from the Bayou can be purchased on the publishers website: https://www.wavefrontmusic.com/scenes-from-the-bayou.html

Gina Gillie - Hornist & Composer: https://sites.google.com/a/plu.edu/gina-gillie---hornist-composer-vocalist/

Scenes from the Bayou, V. Fire In The Sky - Gina Gillie

EXTRAORDINARY TUNNELS, I. Gotthard Base Tunnel

Performed by The Troubled Euphs

EXTRAORDINARY TUNNELS is a challenging three-movement work for euphonium trio inspired by three European tunnels that traverse through gorgeous landscapes and scenery.

I. The Gotthard Base Tunnel (Switzerland): With a route length of 35.5 miles, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is the world’s longest railway tunnel. The Gotthard Base Tunnel runs through the Swiss Alps. This magnitude and beauty of the Alps is conveyed through exciting and angular melodic and rhythmic material, mixed meter, and metric modulation.

Sheet music available here: https://www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p28/EXTRAORDINARY_TUNNELS_%282023%29_-_for_Euphonium_Trio.html

Copyright © 2023 Ian Lester

EXTRAORDINARY TUNNELS, I. Gotthard Base Tunnel - Ian Lester

EXTRAORDINARY TUNNELS, II. Halnaker Tree Tunnel, III. Combe Laval

Performed by The Troubled Euphs

EXTRAORDINARY TUNNELS is a challenging three-movement work for euphonium trio inspired by three European tunnels that traverse through gorgeous landscapes and scenery.

II. Halnaker Tree Tunnel (England): While only 1.5 miles long, the Halnaker Tree Tunnel (Mill Lane) in West Sussex, England is a footpath that has sunken down over the years, leading the surrounding lines of trees to curve over the path. The resulting scenery looks like it came right out of a fairy tale. Dreamy textures and melodies and polyrhythms portray the magic of this tunnel.

III. Combe Laval (France): Combe Laval is an 18.56-mile-long road with a series of tunnels carved into the cliffs of the French Alps tucked away in Southeastern France. An energetic, polyrhythmic introduction leads into heroic solo passages and a driving finale.

Sheet music available here: www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p28/EXT…ium_Trio.html

Copyright © 2023 Ian Lester

EXTRAORDINARY TUNNELS, II. Halnaker Tree Tunnel, III. Combe Laval

Two Pieces for Three Trombones, I. Felicity by Raymond Premru

Performed by The Troubled Euphs

The first of two movements in Raymond Premru's Two Pieces for Trombones, "Felicity" is a beautiful and sensitive composition that features a gorgeous melody in the lead voice and lush harmonies and supporting lines in the other two voices. Although, originally written for three trombones, "Felicity" works wonderfully when performed by a euphonium trio given the warm timbre of the instrument.

Two Pieces for Three Trombones, I. Felicity - Raymond Premru

The Troubled Euphs is a euphonium trio founded in 2021 by Drew Leslie, Dr. Ian Lester, and Jared Sherman, all students at the University of Missouri – Kansas City at the time of the ensemble’s inception. The trio's objective is to commission, promote, and perform new repertoire for euphonium trio and demonstrate the unique strengths and capabilities of their instrumentation. Within the first two and a half years of their existence, the trio has commissioned ten new works for the medium, several of which were composed by local Kansas City-area composers. The trio has been recognized for their talents and musicianship, earning a 4th place finish at the North American Brass Band Association chamber ensemble competition, and being invited as semi-finalists for the small ensemble competition at the 2023 International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Tempe, Arizona, where they received 4th place. Most recently, the Troubled Euphs have been invited to perform at the South Central Regional Tuba Euphonium conference at the University of Memphis as well as the Southeast Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at Middle Tennessee State University.

The Troubled Euphs

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