unfurl (2022)
3 minutes
for oboe and viola
Commissioned by the ReClassified Festival, 2022.
Premiered by Joshua Oates (oboe) and Martin Alexander (viola) at North Adelaide Baptist Church, November 6th 2022.
3 minutes
for oboe and viola
Commissioned by the ReClassified Festival, 2022.
Premiered by Joshua Oates (oboe) and Martin Alexander (viola) at North Adelaide Baptist Church, November 6th 2022.
unfurl is the result of an experiment. Conceived structurally on a walk, the harmonic plan that unfolds throughout the piece was jotted down hastily and without a piano at hand- very unusual for me. The rhythmic structure was planned while I was a passenger
on a long car trip (no piano there either), and a few weeks later the three components were brought together to create… what exactly? A musical exploration of unfolding, expanding harmonies? A study in repetition and holding tension through continual tiny
shifts? Maybe it’s a duet for any two instruments, which works best when played in a resonant acoustic?
Regardless of what it is, I think that unfurl is quite effective. I like the fact that aside from range, it doesn’t rely too much upon the characteristics of the two instruments in order to work. I like the elements of freedom and ensemble it demands of the players,
from articulation matching to decisions about the number of repetitions. I particularly like how it demonstrates that a composer can work in a very different way from usual, and still create something intriguing, enjoyable, listenable, and very playable.
© Anne Cawrse, October 2022
on a long car trip (no piano there either), and a few weeks later the three components were brought together to create… what exactly? A musical exploration of unfolding, expanding harmonies? A study in repetition and holding tension through continual tiny
shifts? Maybe it’s a duet for any two instruments, which works best when played in a resonant acoustic?
Regardless of what it is, I think that unfurl is quite effective. I like the fact that aside from range, it doesn’t rely too much upon the characteristics of the two instruments in order to work. I like the elements of freedom and ensemble it demands of the players,
from articulation matching to decisions about the number of repetitions. I particularly like how it demonstrates that a composer can work in a very different way from usual, and still create something intriguing, enjoyable, listenable, and very playable.
© Anne Cawrse, October 2022