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- Edward Gregson
Oboe Concerto (A Vision in a Dream) (2019)
- Novello & Co Ltd (World)
Commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and first performed in Leeds Town Hall on 8 February 2020 by BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ben Gernon, with soloist Jennifer Galloway
Unavailable for performance.
- 2(pic).0+ca.2(bcl).1/2200/perc/hp/str
- Oboe
- 20 min
Programme Note
My Oboe Concerto is based on Coleridge’s famous poem Kubla Khan, completed in 1797 and published in 1816. The sub-title of the poem – ‘A Vision in a Dream’ – gives the concerto its title, and while not being a programmatic work in the usual meaning of that term, the concerto nevertheless follows the main narrative of the poem, the soloist acting as both narrator and character portraying. To this end, quotations from the poem have been incorporated into the score and parts so that all the musicians will have a sense of the drama nature of the poem underpinning the musical narrative.
Like the poem, the concerto is a highly dramatic work, and although the Oboe is undoubtedly the chief protagonist in the drama, the role that the solo percussionist plays is of great importance. Ideally, the percussionist should be placed centrally, near the front of the stage, between 2nd Violins and Violas, not least because of the opening few pages of the concerto (up until rehearsal fig 4), where direct visual and aural connection between the oboe soloist and percussionist is essential. Indeed, this opening passage should have the feeling of an improvisation, hence the nature of the ‘free’ notation. All of this opening section should not be conducted, except perhaps for the odd cue to coordinate entries.
The composer revised the concerto in 2024 especially for its recording on the Chandos label, with the same performers as the premiere. The recording is due for release in late 2025.
Scores
Reviews
In the intimately expressive, freely notated Prologue, the soloist began off-stage, gradually moving towards the customary solo position to the left of the conductor. A major element in the eloquent oboe writing from the outset was a judicious use of multiphonics, handled by Galloway with considerable interpretative finesse.
With some thirteen concertos in his catalogue, Edward Gregson has made the medium central to his outut. In his latest example he has exploited the genre's dynamic and interactive properties to significant effect. The versatile, idiomatic solo part highlights both the dramatic and the lyrical qualities of the instrument and the vibrant and varied orchestration is also an intrinsic part of the work's success. Both these prime ingredients are heard in the context of an organic single-movement structure of impressive integrity and logic. Indeed, so vivid are the concerto's flights of fancy and so cogent its structure that the piece can be enjoyued without any knowledge of its literary inspiration.