Scored for Violin (or Viola) and Double Bass, 3 Random Rambles (You're Kidding! - You're Driving Me Crazy! - Hit the Road!) is a fun suite for young players and offers musical, ensemble and simple technical challenges for the adventurous duo (c.Grade 5/6). The music is lively and energetic, typical of Tony Osborne at his best, and these are player and audience-friendly miniatures for musicians of all ages.

Tony Osborne writes: 'You're Kidding!, as the title suggests, has plenty of quizzical, wide-eyed facial expressions and surprise in the slightly disjointed turns of phrases and glissandi. The second pieces You're Driving Me Crazy!, with its dotted rhythms and pizzicato passages, is about those delightfully frustrating times when children will annoy each other, or the nearest adult, for no reason and often without realising it. Hit the Road! is lively and carefree with a waltz-like rhythm providing a backdrop for a pleasant end to a very busy day.'

Performance Level: 5;6

Tony Osborne is an important educationalist and prolific composer who has made a significant and unique contribution to the double bass repertoire over the past 35 years. His solo music for young bassists is included by many international examination boards, and his many ensembles pieces are performed at workshops and concerts throughout the world. Tony Osborne notes the influences of Gershwin, Copland and Bernstein, alongside some of the Russian masters, on his music, which he combines with a jazzy, rhythmic and energetic style that has been popular with players and audiences worldwide.

Born in 1947 into a musical family, Tony Osborne studied at the Royal Academy of Music (London) with John Walton (double bass) and Richard Stoker (composition), and divides a busy career between composing, teaching and performing. A very prolific composer and arranger, Tony's original compositions include works in almost every genre, notably Chaconne Syncopations and Wainwright's Ways for brass quintet, Celebration Fanfare for brass ensemble, the musical A Fine Time for Wine, a beautiful and dramatic Requiem and many works for string orchestra.

In 2001 Tony Osborne was elected an ARAM (Associate of the Royal Academy of Music) for his pioneering and important work for double bass, and has been a featured composer at Bass-Fest for the past decade. He was a very successful BIBF Composer-in-residence in 2002-3 and wrote a number of impressive and innovative works for the project. He has been a judge for the British Composer Awards over the past few years and has been a judge for the BIBF Composition Competition since 1999. Recital Music is planning a major festival of Tony Osborne's music in 2012, to celebrate the composer's 65th birthday, and has formulated a 10-year project to publish all his works for double bass.
www.tony-osborne.com