Diamond Concerto – Euphonium Concerto No. 3 – for Euphonium and Piano

Each of the three movements of this challenging concerto written by Philip Sparke for the euphonium virtuoso Steven Mead, is named after a famous diamond:
Earth Star is rather stern in mood, opening with a free fantasy for the soloist over a static chord from the piano.
Ocean Dream uses a varied quote from the composer’s Music for Battle Creek, including a melting slow melody that was originally written with Steven Mead in mind.
Blue Heart was written, at Steven Mead’s suggestion, in bebop style and takes the form of a jazz waltz.