Concerto for Horn and Piano

The Concerto for horn was written for my father Larry Miller as a Christmas present when I was 21. I was two years behind, but still was inspired to compose the concerto by the story of Richard Strauss, who wrote his first horn concerto at the tender age of 10 for his horn-playing father Franz. The form loosely emulates Mozart's horn concerti and the melodies and harmonies found in the work are, by design, extremely lyrical and tonal. A recurring melodic motif of a rising and falling half-step to augmented sixth appears in all three movements. The intent behind the piece was to create a lyrical showpiece for the horn and a vehicle to showcase the horn's beautiful tone.