# Concerto for Oboe and Strings



## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

I've been stuck in a concerto mode for a while now so here's the latest offering, a Concerto for Oboe and Strings (+harp). It's a lollipop, at least to my ears and in a tonal, traditional vein (another aspect of writing I'm back into exploring). It was a deceptively tricky little piece for the soloist, especially the outer movements. I was gratified to learn that he was also deeply moved by it, especially the second movement and actually relished the challenge of the whole. He rose to the task admirably.
The movements are short, each lasting around 6 mins and I hope some of you like it. For the skimmers amongst us, the second mvt starts at 6'36" and the third at 12'45". Please feel free to comment if you wish. There's a pdf below if you'd like to follow the soloist's part.
Here's the link to a movie with pictures that plays the music.......

https://www.dropbox.com/s/03qrkbhe8fgxqsx/Mike Hewer Oboe Concerto.mp4?dl=0


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Nice, Mike. My favorite spot was just near the end of the second movement were (it sounds like) just soft divisi cellos with the oboe. That change of texture was magical and very much needed.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Vasks said:


> Nice, Mike. My favorite spot was just near the end of the second movement were (it sounds like) just soft divisi cellos with the oboe. That change of texture was magical and very much needed.


Thanks Vasks, means a lot. Yep those are cellos div.a3. I'm more partial to some moments in the 3rd myself. That 2nd mvt was an adaption of a choral piece I wrote for a commission years back. It set some latin, hence the quasi spiritual feel. The bit you like was from the 'Amen' section.


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

Wonderful! I am reminded of some of my favorite English composers. Walton, Vaughan-Williams, a bit of Rawshthorne. The 2nd mvt reminds me very much of the RVW Oboe Concerto, with freer rhythms. Perfectly marvelous. And very well played.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Torkelburger said:


> Wonderful! I am reminded of some of my favorite English composers. Walton, Vaughan-Williams, a bit of Rawshthorne. The 2nd mvt reminds me very much of the RVW Oboe Concerto, with freer rhythms. Perfectly marvelous. And very well played.


Thanks so much TB for the nice comments, they are much appreciated and always more so from colleagues. I sure can't hide my English-ness especially when it comes to lyricism. What triggered the whole piece was actually Malcom Arnold's sweet and as usual for him, quirky Oboe Concerto but yeah, RVW, Walton and Rawsthorne are also likes of mine, not that I consciously mined them. I've been on a tonal-ish trip for a few years now and am actually thinking of reverting back to the tougher approach to harmony in particular I had a while ago - feeling the urge to try and discover fresher sound once again...Symphony no3 beckons...


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

Mike, do you mind if I ask where you studied composition and who you studied with? Not going to judge. I already know you're very good. An educated guess would assume it was some place reputable.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Torkelburger said:


> Mike, do you mind if I ask where you studied composition and who you studied with? Not going to judge. I already know you're very good. An educated guess would assume it was some place reputable.


Hey TB, no I don't mind at all, just click on my signature.


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

RAM, excellent school. Very nice.


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## RamonC (Jun 7, 2018)

This is fantastic. I liked it.
It is a very well made music, with an excellent musical form, very coherent and balanced. Following the line of tonality, I think the attribute of neoclassical music can be applied, or perhaps better, neoromantic, but of very good quality.
Also special mention to excellent interpretation of Rodrigo Escalona Saldeño.
Thank you very much for sharing this good and laborious work.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

RamonC said:


> This is fantastic. I liked it.
> It is a very well made music, with an excellent musical form, very coherent and balanced. Following the line of tonality, I think the attribute of neoclassical music can be applied, or perhaps better, neoromantic, but of very good quality.
> Also special mention to excellent interpretation of Rodrigo Escalona Saldeño.
> Thank you very much for sharing this good and laborious work.


Thanks so much Ramon. Rodrigo learnt that in just under 3 weeks, I was very impressed.


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## verandai (Dec 10, 2021)

I also enjoyed it very much, thanks for sharing!

My favourite part is the transition into part [F] in the first movement, and the following bars (bars 81-97). And I like the final harmony resolution (starting with C triad and adding the mix with D- later with the harp)

I also like the way the soloist is playing. I've noticed he sometimes uses other octaving than in your score, but I guess that's normal to increase the playability (f.e. the high "a" in bar 134).

May I ask, if the partly far-eastern sound in the 2nd movement was intentional? 

Of course I'm also fond of the third movement, as a big fan of complex rhythms.

I'm also fascinated by your method of recording the soloist and producing the other instruments digitally! For professionals, this must be commonplace - but for me as a hobby composer (so far), I never thought of that before. I'll maybe try this production method myself, as I don't have to work cost-covering when composing (I guess a good soloist has his corresponding price).

Did you just compose that for your own enjoyment? Or do you plan to publish the music somehow?

Thanks again!

Best regards, Alex from Munich


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Hi Alex,
Thanks so much for your kind comments, glad you liked it. Any discrepancies you heard will be down to the fact that I uploaded an earlier version of the part is all. Re the 2nd mvt, no a Far- Eastern vibe was not intentional but I get what you are saying. The third is my favourite so I'm glad you liked it too, it was fun to monkey around with the material.
The player was great, I found him on Fiverr . It's a site well worth exploring and not as expensive as you might think.
The music is for me as it's not likely to find a publisher seeing that I wont be pushing it anywhere. That's fine by me, I've done ok out of our wonderful art. How's your work coming along?


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

Lovely this oboe concerto of yours, Mike! Great idea to have also the harp there so you get all kinds of attacks.

Your harmonies, melodies and rhythms are consistent and you shift from one situation to another with skill. There is nothing clumsy anywhere. Also, there is nothing lazy.

The music also evolves and builds up and there is a point to everything which communicates. That is important to me.

What I like the most is that the sound in itself is very satisfying. It is not an oboe concerto for the sake of oboe concerto. The sound of the oboe really comes through the huge strings and creates a great balance, also giving focus.

The repetition and fast runs with the oboe are very cool!

You balance very well between consonance and dissonance. It is very beautiful music but not the easy way. Your skills and knowledge are obvious.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

@Waehnen Thanks for a lovely review, cheque's in the post.... 
Seriously though, your kind words mean a lot coming from a fellow composer. As you know, trying to make a piece sound inevitable whether it contains good or bad notes is a difficult job so I'm especially pleased you felt a plausible continuity in the music - thank God for motivic development eh. Re the string size, the score could definitely withstand a smaller section and might even be better for it. The piece was written with one of my ears tasked with regulating dissonance into a friendlier sound for the listener. Sometimes the other ear got the upperhand.
Looking forward to the Symphony.


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## verandai (Dec 10, 2021)

mikeh375 said:


> Hi Alex,
> Thanks so much for your kind comments, glad you liked it. Any discrepancies you heard will be down to the fact that I uploaded an earlier version of the part is all. Re the 2nd mvt, no a Far- Eastern vibe was not intentional but I get what you are saying. The third is my favourite so I'm glad you liked it too, it was fun to monkey around with the material.
> The player was great, I found him on Fiverr . It's a site well worth exploring and not as expensive as you might think.
> The music is for me as it's not likely to find a publisher seeing that I wont be pushing it anywhere. That's fine by me, I've done ok out of our wonderful art. How's your work coming along?


You're welcome Mike,

I'll definetly also try the combination of digital instruments and a real soloist! But probably on a shorter piece as a first experiment. 

As I was pretty occupied with my main job (software development) in spring & summer, I wasn't able to spend much time on composing the last months. I only created a wedding present for a friend, where I tried to compose a medley containing motifs of 4 of their favourite songs (2 from him, 2 from her). That was also challenging, because their musical taste (both popular music) was quite differing ;-)

But anyway, the next weeks/months I want to spend more time composing again. I'm quite happy how the click rates on my Youtube channel developed in the last months. I wasn't able to generate a composing assignment out of it though, but I know I have to be patient. I'll continue with my own composing projects regardless of any success, because I also like to listen to the results ;-)


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