quartet for oboe and strings

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QUARTET FOR OBOE AND STRINGS (2008) Purchase Online

Premiere: September 20, 2008 by Peggy Pearson, oboe; Gabriela Diaz, violin; Mark Berger, viola; Rafael Popper-Keizer, cello
Duration: 11'

Instrumentation: Oboe, Violin, Viola, ‘Cello

Commissioned by Winsor Music, Inc., for Peggy Pearson. Made possible by a grant from the Jebediah Foundation: New Music Commissions

Program Note:
The musical ideas of my Oboe Quartet are generated largely from a question that arose as I began working with this fundamentally odd instrumentation: how do I write for three string instruments that are roughly homogenous, and the oboe, which has a totally different character? So, the piece begins with the instruments in unison, with different instruments gradually splintering off. The rest of the piece explores a variety of ideas textures and expressive modes that highlight the uniqueness of this strange but also strangely beautiful combination.

– James Matheson