Soli for Tuba, Zheng, Horn With Percussion is percussionist Robert McCormick’s tenth album with Parma Recordings. On their latest album, the Robert McCormick Percussion Group performs five compositions from four distinct composers, each of whom contributes striking works that range from personal to global inspiration...

If you're not a fan of percussion based music then there's going to be little here that will draw you in. However, for fans of this family of instruments there's plenty to get excited about here, with the works of four different composers.

Soli for Tuba, Zheng, Horn With Percussion opens with 'Loam', a concerto for tuba and percussion ensemble composed by Tyler Kline. Much of the concerto is texture-based in order to convey the idea of loam, or soil, with some parts of the music reflecting the sound of the earth being tilled.

Chihchun Chi-sun Lee’s 'Double Concerto for Tuba, Zheng and Percussion Orchestra' is a unique amalgam featuring zheng, tuba, and percussion. The first movement creates a unifying sense of colour, timbre, and gesture. 'Movement II' mainly focuses on the tuba and zheng, while 'Movement III' displays the sound of the tuba, zheng, and percussion in perfect balance.

Written by Michael Standard, 'Stamina' for percussion quartet and horn soloist is comprised of three parts: 'Fracture,' 'Rehabilitation,' and 'Capacity.'

Composer Matthew Kennedy's 'In Pursuit of Ghosts' explores the journey from one chapter of life to the next through the structure of the three-part concerto.

The LP closes with 'Zusammenflusses (Confluences)', another work by Lee, that captures the differences and similarities of the zheng with the vibraphone and cymbal.

Track listing:

Tyler Kline
Loam (2017) Concerto for Tuba and Percussion Ensemble
Joseph Alvarez (tuba), Yin Long (piano)
01 - I. (7:59)
02 - II. (5:27)
03 III. (9:34)
04 - IV. (6:47)

Chihchun Chi-sun Lee
Double Concerto for Tuba, Zheng and Percussion Orchestra (2015)
Jay Hunsberger (tuba), Haiqiong Deng (zheng)
05 - I. (5:24)
06 - II. (2:59)
07 - III. (5:28)

Michael Standard
Stamina (2018) Concerto for Horn with Percussion Quartet
Eric Hawkins (horn)
08 - I. Fracture (5:26)
09 - II. Rehabilitation (3:41)
10 - III. Capacity (1:07)

Matthew Kennedy
In Pursuit of Ghosts (2018) Concerto for Solo Tuba, Percussion Sextet and Piano
Joseph Alvarez (tuba)
11 - I. Heartland (5:20)
12 - II. Cat’s Cradle (3:13)
13 - III. Spirits (3:43)

Chihchun Chi-sun Lee
14 - Zusammenflusses (2013) Confluences for Zheng and Percussion (9:01)
Haiqiong Deng (zheng)
Robert McCormick (percussion)

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Darren Rea