A while back I attended a recital at San Jose State University (my alma mater). Mike Adduci is one fine oboist, and it was a delight to hear him. (He’s also one fine reed maker, as my students know.) One of the works on the program was brand new, composed by Kerry Lewis. I loved it, and immediately after I asked if it would be available for purchase. I was told there was a bit of tweaking that would be done to it, but that yes, it would eventually be available.
Well … it’s now out! I bought a copy, and I hope some of you do too. I’m all for new works for oboe. I’m sure you are too! This is for oboe and piano. Here’s what the composer has to say about it:
I wrote the 5-movement Suite for Oboe for oboist Michael Adduci, and he premiered it brilliantly on a recital at San Jose State in February 2010. My intention was to show off the various modes and moods of the oboe – agile, lyrical, sad, happy, sarcastic, playful, and so on. The style is basically lyrical and tonal, but with some interesting twists and turns. “At Play,” is the shortest, lightest and sunniest movement. This is followed by the dreamy “At Rest,” which is obviously intended to contrast with “At Play” and which features some very relaxed, lyrical passages for the oboe. “Intermezzo,” which picks up on a theme from the first movement, is mocking and sarcastic. “Elegy” is a heartfelt tribute to my father, who died while I was writing this Suite. The 88 measures of the movement are a tribute to his 88 years. The concluding “Rondo” is a traditional final-movement romp, mostly playful, but with a calmer and more graceful episode as well. The Suite is about 25 minutes long, but oboists could also play single movements (especially the Rondo, which stands well on its own) or sub-groupings of movements.
I don’t have a tape of Mike’s recital, so this clip without a real oboe will have to suffice. (Sorry!) The entire work is just so much fun … do consider purchasing it. You can contact Kerry by emailing him at kerry_lewis [at] msn [dot] com … and let me know if you purchase it, please!
Rondo_sound_clip
