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Antares (1988) |
oboe, piano - 12'
Leon Goosens celebrated his ninetieth birthday in 1988. The occasion was marked by a Wigmore Hall recital given by the oboist Nicholas Daniel, who commissioned the work as a birthday present to Goosens with funds made available by the Arts Council of Great Britain. The birthday fell in June, the same month in which Antares, one of the brightest stars in the sky, is at its best. The name is given to two stars which combine to give a very bright image. This seemed a suitable starting point in many ways, as well as being the motivation to create bright and intricate dialogue between the oboe and piano. Multiphonics are used here quite unashamedly to set a programmatic display and textural contasts
© Edwin Roxburgh