Out of the Depths
This work was commissioned in 2011 by Chris Combest, currently principal tuba player of Louisville Orchestra, for his solo recital at the 2012 International Tuba and Euphonium conference in Linz.
The piece consists of six variations on the Gregorian 8th Mode setting of Psalm 130 - "Out of the Depths I cry unto thee, O Lord" Despite its opening verses, the psalm is one of hope and trust in God and the piece roughly follows the mood, being a journey from Darkness into light.
The first two meditations are of a dark nature with some anguished outbursts suggesting the pleading of the psalmist, while the third focuses on the more positive, hopeful aspect of the psalm in a romantic melody. In the fourth meditation, gloom descends once more and there is a quote form a chorale in J.S. Bach's cantata No. 131, itself a setting of the Lutheran paraphrase of Psalm 130, while meditation V is an unaccompanied cadenza for the tuba. This leads to the final meditation, marked Gioioso, which is happy and playful, culminating in a triumphant statement of material from Meditation III and a final whoop of joy form the soloist.