Stroll Through Mind Gardens, A - Tuba and Piano

“The mind is a fertile garden – it will grow anything you wish to plant – beautiful flowers or weeds.” – Bruce Lee

A Stroll Through Mind Gardens depicts an imaginary journey inwards to the realm of imagination, where thoughts bloom and float by like flower petals on the wind.  Connected by variations on a dance-like ‘strolling’ rhythm, the listener is taken on a colorful and vibrant tour of a vast ‘aural mind garden.’

Written during the autumn of 2019, the work was commissioned by David Saltzman to be premiered at the Northeast Regional Tuba/Euphonium Conference (NERTEC) at Ithaca College. It’s intended to have stately-dance feel that acts as a musical anchor point for the changing melodies and harmonies, although this rhythm itself also undergoes several variations throughout. The sectional structure of the piece and the transitions between them are written in a way that often flow in and out of one another, similar to a typical stream of thought.

The piece provides a moderate challenge for the performer, demanding an expressive, musical approach, and quick changes of style.