Triptych for Oboe and Piano

Instrumentation:  Oboe and Piano

Duration:  ca. 6:10

Program Notes:

Though classical music in the 20^th century was influenced by a variety of compositional styles and techniques, serialism was perhaps the most revolutionary aesthetic to emerge.  Serialist works cycle through all twelve notes of the chromatic scale continually, often confusing the listener’s perception of the key.

This piece opens with a fairly dissonant, expressionist movement in three sections (ABA).  The second movement introduces a more relaxed mood which gradually accumulates and releases rhythmic tension before a final climax. The third movement is the most playful of the three, and it incorporates a short canon by augmentation between the piano and oboe.

Premiere:  November 10, 2017; Spokane, WA.  Lawrence Maher, Oboe; Hannah Fulton, bassoon; Peter Underhill, piano.