Commissioned by BBC Radio 3. First performed at the BMIC Cutting Edge series, Warehouse, London

A major part of my compositional research has focused on extended works for solo instruments, which bring into conflict aspects of notation, interpretation and instrumental technique, seen as form-building elements. My quintet for oboe and strings extends this principle to include the added dimension of the ensemble. Much of what appears as a kind of ‘virtual polyphony' is here given further resonance by its development and extension in an ensemble context. The main harmonic and rhythmic material for the work is provided by the oboe part of the first section, which was composed first and in isolation. This material was then analyzed and divided up for distribution between the strings. This process works on many levels simultaneously, ranging from the projection of ‘time-lines', which are to establish the basic temporal nature of the music, to the shaping and development of the surface material. The time-lines are also used to create layers of polyphony, as in the duo for oboe and cello in section two, which is based on a concealed canonic structure.

Score and CD. Recorded for CD release on Metier (producer David Lefeber) by Christopher Redgate and the Kreutzer String Quartet.

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/1778