Triptych was commissioned by horn soloist Lesley Howie for a premiere performance at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. In three broad sections, the work is a modern take on the traditional ‘theme and variations’ concept, used in many brass band solos.

The three sections of the piece are:

• fanfare and theme – a fanfare sounded by the soloist at the opening is taken on by the band, leading to a setting of Handel’s Sarabande (from his 6th Suite for keyboard) and a recapitulation of the fanfare
• slow song – asimple melody, becoming more elaborate throughout the section
• finale – a quasi-tango featuring some fiendish technique from the soloist