New album!
This summer I released my first solo album, Widening Circles, on Mark Custom Records!
Please CONTACT me directly to order a copy! Streaming is great, but artists (including myself) benefit greatly from direct CD orders!
Widening Circles is an album of all new commissioned works for tuba that I began piecing together in 2019. The title comes from the first piece of music I ever paid someone to write for me, Widening Circles, by Joshua William Mills, which is included on the album. Creating an album of all commissions not only helped me widen my circle of composer friends, but also helped me widen the circle of interesting tuba repertoire.
A few of the commissions were requested with specific intentions. I really like new music, unaccompanied music, and electronic music, but find there is not a lot of music out there to bridge the gap between beginner and professional. As such, Metal Monday, Two Portraits of Nyx, and Data Decay were commissioned with the intent of being playable by undergraduate tuba players.
I sincerely hope you enjoy this album of all brand new commissions!
Streaming Options:
Bronze Medal - Global Music Awards
Selected Review Quotes:
From the International Tuba Euphonium Association Journal, reviewed by Dr. Chris Combest:
"The first thing that struck me listening to this recording was the variety of music Dr. Rowland has assembled here. So often, new music recordings can sound very similar, but the choice to include electronic pieces with more traditional piano and solo instrument works is a wise one. I particularly enjoyed Pax Aeternam by Maria Thompson Corley. Pax Aeternam was written in memory of composer Barbara York, whose plentiful writing for the tuba and euphonium is very well known in our circles. This work celebrates the spirit of York’s writing, dancing through long flowing lines intertwined with the piano and evoking the melodicism with which York so generously composed for our instrument. Here, the composer takes the ideas of the dancing analogy even further and creates a new work that is rich with expressiveness, a quality heightened by Dr. Rowland’s performance of the work.
Overall, this recording is a triumph, bringing so many new pieces for the tuba to the public ear, something there will always be room for in the repertoire. Congratulations to Daniel Rowland, Kaju Lee, recording engineer Aaron Hynds, and all the composers represented on this recording—a wonderful gift to the listener!"
Full Review (membership needed)
From Brutal New Music Reviews:
"The titular piece, Widening Circles by Joshua William Mills, is a three-movement beauty inspired by poems of Rainer Maria Rilke. Mills' modal lines are memorable and engaging, all while utilizing the full comfortable range of the instrument. The piano expertly supports the soloist and melodic lines with intricate rhythmic density making it much more than a basic accompaniment part. Rowland and Lee's interpretation is exquisite, but Mills piano writing allows for us to hear how amazing Lee is as a collaborate pianist. I hope Rowland's definitive recording promotes Mills' piece so it will begin to show up on repertoire lists for college-aged and above players."
