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Duo
| Composed |
1981 |
| Duration |
8' 30 |
| Instrumentation |
'Cello, Oboe. |
| Comments |
Written for the soloists Douglas Boyd (oboe) and William Conway ('cello), this piece evokes an expansive landscape of seashore and lapping tides; clean, searching lines.
Two, lively rhythmic sections are set between three slow rhapsodic ones. The piece is centred around the note "A", wandering off but always returning to it. The opening section is free and leads into an Allegro scherzando. Next comes an oboe solo with 'quasi guitarra' plucked chords underneath on the 'cello, who then takes over with a solo cadenza. This leads into a gutsy Allegro vivace, followed by the final section, which dissolves gradually, becoming ever more remote and calm. |
| Performances |
Many, mainly in London and Edinburgh. BBC broadcast. |
| Reviews |
"...an extraordinary duo..." Scotland on Sunday.
"...concise and vast, wildly evocative yet of extreme precision...truly superb...we must hear more of this man's music." Scotland on Sunday.
"...clean, searching lines giving a wonderful feeling of space..." The Guardian. |
| Recordings |
CD and Audio tape. |
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