Tsar Bomba

This work for tuba quartet and bass drum aims to capture the sheer ferocity and horror of the Tsar Bomba, the world's largest nuclear bomb dropped by the Soviets in 1961. The explosion was a truly nightmarish event creating a fireball 8 kilometers wide and a shockwave that circled the globe three times. The tubas sing out a section of the Russian Orthodox Kyrie Elaison (Lord Have Mercy) moved to a minor key while the bass drum builds underneath, finally overtaking the hymn sounding like the rumbling shockwave of the blast.