Programme
Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976) Pan, Niobe and Arethusa from ‘Six Metamorphoses after Ovid’
Clara Schumann (1819 – 1896) Romance No.1 Andante molto
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) Three Songs without Words
Op.67 No.2 Allegro leggiero
Op.19 No.1 Andante con moto
Op. 19 No.2 Andante espressivo
Alessandro Marcello (1673 – 1747) Oboe Concerto in D minor I: Andante II: Adagio III: Presto
Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937) Pièce en forme de Habanera
Sonatine I: Modéré II: Mouvement de menuet III: Animé
I N T E R V A L
Samuel Barber (1910 – 1981) Canzonetta
Lili Boulanger (1893 – 1918) Elle etait descendue au bas de la prairie
Nocturne
D’un matin de printemps
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) Sonata No. 2 in A major I: Allegro amabile II: Andante tranquillo / vivace III: Allegretto grazioso
Peter Facer Manhattanhenge
It has always seemed to me to be a strange quirk of musical history that the oboe, having enjoyed an extensive repertoire during the baroque period, should be largely ignored as a solo instrument by many of the leading composers of the Classical and early Romantic periods; hardly any concertos or sonatas and only a handful of chamber works date from this time. It was towards the end of the 19th century that the oboe began to emerge from the shadows to find new, attractive works to play, French composers taking the lead in this trend. A sensible way round this imbalance of repertoire has been for sympathetic arrangements to be made of music from the lean years and it is the fruits of this practice that we shall enjoy tonight, alongside a number of works written specifically for the instrument.
We begin with three movements from one of the masterworks of 20th century repertoire for solo oboe, the ‘Metamorphoses after Ovid’ by Benjamin Britten. Composed in 1951, the work is a set of character studies of figures from Greek mythology which Britten intended for open air performance as befits the oboe’s pastoral associations. We shall hear Pan “who played upon the reed pipe which was Syrinx, his beloved”, Niobe “who, lamenting the death of her fourteen children, was turned into a mountain” and Arethusa “who, flying from the love of Alpheus the river God, was turned into a fountain”.
The Schumanns (Robert and Clara) and Felix Mendelssohn were colleagues and close friends, often involved in the performance of one another’s music. Clara’s Three Romances for violin were composed in 1853 and Mendelssohn’s ‘Songs without Words’ for piano appeared in six volumes between 1829 and 1845. Each of these four pieces is well suited to be performed by oboe and piano.
Alessandro Marcello was a Venetian nobleman whose comfortable position allowed him to give free reign to his considerable talents as a composer. He wrote in a number of genres, but it is only his concertos, notably those for wind instruments, that have retained a place in the regular repertoire. They display a happy blend of Albinoni’s charm with something of Vivaldi’s vigour.
Ravel’s ‘Pièce en forme de habanera’ was composed in 1907 as a vocalise (song without text) for bass voice and piano. It rarely if ever heard in its original form but rather in arrangements for many different instruments; Ravel himself transcribed it for cello and piano. His Sonatine for piano was written slightly earlier, the first movement being entered in a competition organised by a French journal. The three brief movements explore the characteristic harmonic style of the period while in matters of form and texture cast a glance back to the idiosyncratic French keyboard music of the baroque period.
Late in his life Samuel Barber was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to write a concerto for oboe and strings. Sadly, the middle movement was the only one to be completed; this is the Canzonetta which we shall hear tonight.
Despite her poor health, Lili Boulanger’s gifts as a composer were already clearly in evidence by the time of her tragically early death; in 1912 she was the first woman to win the highly coveted French composition prize, the Prix de Rome and thereafter produced a steady stream of works vocal, choral and instrumental.
Johannes Brahms hardly needs any introduction. He was not averse to issuing his works in different arrangements (for example the ‘Haydn Variations’ published for two pianos and also for orchestra). It will be most interesting to hear the second of his violin and piano sonatas in a new instrumental colouring.
Ewan’s final piece is by a contemporary oboist/composer and is inspired by the view of the rising sun framed by the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Oboe music is clearly alive and well in the twenty-first century!
Ewan Millar is a graduate of Oxford and also the Royal Academy of Music where he won several leading awards and prizes. His busy career involves appearances with many leading orchestras as well as recital work – but he also finds time to gig as a jazz pianist in Oxford and London.
Tomos Boyles is similarly an alumnus of Oxford and the RAM and, following a highly successful debut recital at the Wigmore Hall, has given recitals in many of the leading concert venues in London and his native Wales.
For the rest of the 2026 season, we will be returning to St Mary’s Church, Edward Road, Dorchester. Our next concert on Wednesday 20th May will be given by the Rosetti Ensemble. Illness has caused a change in their programme; we shall be hearing piano quartets by Mozart and Brahms together with an arrangement of Ravel’s ‘Mother Goose’ Suite.