Alight – Tom Curry

Tubist Tom Curry’s debut solo recording, Alight, features rarely-performed 20th-century works for tuba. With an expressive range which spans from somber to sublime to outright violent, this collection explores themes of isolation and despair, peace and solemnity. Curry collaborates with pianist Vincent Fuh on Sofia Gubaidulina’s intensely poignant Lamento as well as the premiere recording of William Bardwell’s austere Sonata for Tuba and Piano. Iva Ugrcic joins them on Composition No.1 “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya, a brutal, severe masterpiece for piccolo, tuba and piano. Giacinto Scelsi’s Maknongan, an undulating exploration of timbre for unaccompanied tuba, and transcriptions of works by Maurice Ravel and Willson Osborne also appear on this album.