Following on

The starting point from which this piece follows on, is Francis Poulenc's 1963 Sonata for Oboe and Piano, a piece which, as an oboist, I played on a number of occasions. Looking back on it, Poulenc's music, his last completed work, has what now seems to me some rather sugary harmony, but is nonetheless deeply felt and has a satisfying resonance. It opens with a four note figure on the oboe which makes no obvious reappearance and it was this figure together with the resonant nature of the music which provided the stimulus for my own piece - I wanted to see where these four notes would lead me. The result is, from a harmonic and melodic point of view, a very different piece but one which retains something of the feel of Poulenc's work. It is in one continuous movement lasting twelve minutes.