Oboe as soloist
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Australian music for oboe
The repertoire for the oboe has been featured and celebrated in solo repertoire, concertos and in chamber music. The sound of this double reed instrument can be warm, lyrical, soulful and yet can penetrate through rich orchestral textures. Earlier Australian composers that featured the oboe in their compositions included Margaret Sutherland, Miriam Hyde, Mirrie Hill and Richard Meale. Concertos for oboe have been written by Colin Brumby, Graeme Koehne, Ross Edwards and Riccardo Formosa. Ross Edwards concerto ‘Bird Spirit Dreaming’ was written for Australian oboist Diana Doherty who performed this work both in Australia and overseas with the New York Philharmonic. Doherty also inspired other Australian composers to write for the instrument. Recent and past wind quintets by George Dreyfus, Lachlan Skipworth and Natalie Williams have showcased the oboe and its virtuoso techniques in these works.
Representative works
| Work | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
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| Ming qi (2000) by Liza Lim | Ming Qi (pronounced `ming chee´) is Chinese for Bright Vessel, and refers to tomb items such as ritual vessels, musical instruments, weapons, and statuary buried for use by the dead. |
| Sonata for oboe and piano (2006) by Larry Sitsky | 9 movements | |
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| Chromium yellow (1996) by Michael Smetanin | A 6 minute work for Oboe d'amore, harp, tape. |
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| Six preludes for solo oboe (1991) by Richard Mills | Composed in 1991. |
| Pan plucked a reed (1971) by Mirrie Hill | For oboe and piano, Movt.1 suitable for Grade 6 difficulty, Movts.2 & 3 suitable for Grade 4 difficulty. | |
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| Lament (2001) by Jennifer Fowler | 2 instrumentations available: Baroque oboe, cello ; or Baroque oboe, bass viol. |
| Across the Oceans Deep and Blue (2017) by John Peterson | Inspired by the fact that Australia is an island continent, and the music represents a vision of the deep blue oceans that surround it. |
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| Animalia (2017) by Natalie Williams | Intended as a collection of works that highlights the relationship between pets and their owners. |
| Three pieces for Oboe and Piano (2025) by Nigel Westlake | The 3 movements can be performed together or individually, each one exploring a contrasting set of ideas. | |
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| In-flight entertainment (2000) by Graeme Koehne | A 30 minute work of advanced difficulty. |
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| Sonatina for oboe and pianoforte by William Lovelock | 3 movements, suitable for AMEB Grade 7 |
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| Charmer's apprentice (2002) by Elena Kats-Chernin | Commissioned by the Australian National University. |
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| ... one mirror, cracked ... (2016) by Karen Lemon | The piece was designed for advanced teenage players; the level is appropriate for final HSC performance exams on oboe. |
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| Concerto for oboe and orchestra (2002) by Ross Edwards | Dedicated to Diana Doherty. |
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| Echoes and lines (2017) by Lachlan Skipworth | Premiered in 2017 by Arcadia Winds. |