Steve to give world premiere of new Euphonium Concerto by leading German composer Rolf Rudin with the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra.

The new Concerto is called 'The Hallows' and is sure to become one fo the most important new euphonium concerti of the last ten years. Rolf Rudin is very well known in Germany as a fine composer of contemporary music and has written several major modern works for wind orchestra.

Rolf was invited by the Stuttgart Phil, themselves champions of modern music, to compose a new work for solo instrument and orchestra and, remembering a promise he made to Steve several years before, nominated the euphonium as his chosen instrument. The orchestra asked for more details about this 'mysterious' instrument, and after Steve submitted a some recordings and a 'cheese-free' biography, the orchestra agreed to the choice of the euphonium.

Rolf had several meetings with Steve to check out various tonal possibilities of the euphonium, mutings, glissandi, tonguings,and various other 'special effects'.

The resulting piece is very challenging and will give the Stuttgart audience on wed.21 November an imaginative taste of the possibilities of the euphonium.

Of the theme of the piece, the composer Rolf Rudin writes: 'In Irish mythology it's said that a group of ancient magical people known as the Thuata de Danean came to Ireland- they were the original Irish Fairies - and they brought with them four sacred treasures, called 'The Hallows of Ireland'.

So the piece should get a very mythical and epic atmosphere and the euphonium is something like the narrator or an old Druid who is telling the people something of this ancient and unknown time'.

Tickets can be obtained for the website of the Stuttgart Philharmonic and the performance is destined to be one of the most of the important euphonium moments of the year 2007.