In three movements, duration: ca. 13 minutes; 1. Andante (5' 00")   2. Lento (5' 00")   3. Allegro (3' 00")

First Movement: Second Movement: Third Movement: (Live recording of premiere performance).

Oboe Sonata - Score, PDF, 14 page, 303Kb    Oboe Sonata - Oboe Part, PDF, 6 pages, 99Kb

"Duo à la française"; Marika Lombardi (oboe) and Nathalie Dang (piano) first performed the Oboe Sonata on Saturday 23rd February 2013, 8.30pm at the Auditorium de la Cité des Arts, 18 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville Paris, 4ème Métro Pont Maries.

The Oboe Sonata was composed in 2011 for Marika Lombardi and Nathalie Dang. The idea of writing a specifically oboe work grew naturally out of the earlier collaboration with Marika Lombardi on Diversions for Quintet, and also hearing the duo performing together during their recital as part of the Festival "Oboe".

As an abstract work, the Sonata features much interplay between the oboe and piano treated as equal partners. The oboe often enjoys many long lyrical lines throughout which are introduced and developped from the outset.

The first movement, a rather moderately-paced Andante, has an easy flow to it leading to several intense moments.

A feature of the second movement, slow and somewhat intense, is its construction around the number five. It is a Lento in 5/4 and often the music falls naturally into five and ten beat phrases. Several previous works had employed a compound triple metre reminiscent of classical era music so I was happy to create a movement where the rhythmic schema seemed to mark a departure from this.

The Sonata finishes with a lively shortish third movement constructed around material from both the first and second movements. The intensity of the central second movement gives way to an exuberant and somewhat playful mood.