Lyric Suite for Brass

Scored for 3 trumpets • horn in F • tenor trombone • bass trombone • tuba

Short, lyric character pieces were very much in vogue in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, especially so in Scandinavia. Edward Grieg was an undisputed master of the genre, and his ten books of Lyric Pieces, with a total of 66 items, span the better part of his composing career. More at home in smaller forms than in large formal structures, composing these pieces came naturally to Grieg, to the extent that he half-jokingly complained in a letter to his close friend, the Dutch composer Julius Röntgen : "... I have been lyric once again. Can't you please cure me of this affliction?". With some exceptions, the Lyric Pieces are of small scale and modest ambition, which has ensured them a prominent place in concert halls throughout the world. Their ever-fresh inspiration, distinct Norwegian flavour, and occasional flashes of virtuosity offer great opportunities for enterprising performers.