- Hydra (1985) double reed trio 12'
- 2 oboes, English horn
- Premiere—1985, by the Montana Double Reed Trio, at the IDRS Convention, Boulder, CO.
Program Notes
Hydra takes its name from the mythical many-headed monster encountered by Heracles; when one head was lopped off, two more grew in its place. This image suggested to me a continuously regenerating structure of instruments falling away and later "growing back" as new voices, with new material. Thus, Hydra consists of a series of trios, solos and duos, combining the two oboes and English horn in all possible ways.
The work falls into three large segments, fast-slow-fast, each dividing into four sub-sections. Extended techniques are prominent, including double trills, bent tones and multiphonics.
Hydra was written for the Montana Double Reed Trio: Cynthia Green and Ken Decker, oboes; Roger MacDonald, English horn. A marvelous ensemble, as far as I know it played exactly two concerts, one of which was the premiere of this work at the 1985 International Double Reed Society Convention in Boulder, Co.