Hydra (oboe trio)

$13.50

Oboe trio–12′

A tour de force for oboe trio. The mythical hydra takes sonic form: when one voice is cut off, another grows in its place.



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Description

Hydra (oboe trio)

1985
Premiere—1985, by the Montana Double Reed Trio, at the IDRS Convention, Boulder, CO.
Duration: 12′

Program Note

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 a continuously regenerating structure of instruments falling away and later “growing back” as new voices, with new material. Thus, Hydra, a tour de force for oboe trio, consists of a series of trios, solos and duos, combining the three instruments 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. The players read from score.

Hydra was written for the Montana Double Reed Trio of Green, Decker and MacDonald. It was a fine ensemble, which as far as I know played exactly three concerts, one of which was the premiere of this work at the 1985 International Double Reed Society Convention in Boulder, Co.

Thomas’s other pieces for oboe include a Quartet for Oboe and Strings: Peregrine Tones, a Sonata for Oboe and Guitar and a Concerto, but Hydra is definitely the wildest of the bunch.

 

 

Additional information

Dimensions 11 × 14 in

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