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Non-Commercial

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CD

Spirit of the Wild, by Nigel Westlake, and The Desert Music, by Steve Reich / Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conductors: Nigel Westlake and David Robertson.

Library shelf no. CD 3028 [Not for loan]

$30.00

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Parts

Spirit of the Wild : SOLO OBOE PART ONLY / Nigel Westlake.

Format	Title	Version	AMC Library	Price
Parts	Spirit of the Wild : SOLO OBOE PART ONLY / Nigel Westlake. 1 set of 1 performance parts (22p. -- A4 (portrait)) Published by Rimshot Music — 2019	Oboe with orchestra	Not for loan	$30.00	Add to cart
Score & Part	Spirit of the Wild : concerto for oboe, Piano Reduction / Nigel Westlake. 1 score 60p. -- A4 (portrait)) and 1 part (20p. -- A4 (portrait)) Published by Rimshot Music — 2017	Oboe with orchestra	Not for loan	$80.00	Add to cart
Score	Spirit of the Wild : concerto for oboe / Nigel Westlake. 1 score (92p. -- A3 (portrait)) Published by Rimshot Music — 2019 Library shelf no. 784.2852186/WES 1	Oboe with orchestra	Not for loan	$110.00	Add to cart
Score	Spirit of the Wild : concerto for oboe STUDY SCORE / Nigel Westlake. 1 score (92p. -- A4 (portrait)) Published by Rimshot Music — 2017 Library shelf no. 784.2852186/WES 2	Oboe with orchestra	Available for loan	$55.00	Add to cart
CD	Spirit of the Wild, by Nigel Westlake, and The Desert Music, by Steve Reich / Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conductors: Nigel Westlake and David Robertson. 1 CD (71 min.) Published by ABC Classics — 2019 [4817899] Library shelf no. CD 3028	Oboe with orchestra	Not for loan	Non-Commercial
Parts	Spirit of the Wild : chamber concerto for oboe, piano, string quartet and double bass / Nigel Westlake. 1 set of 7 performance parts (140p. -- A4 (portrait)) Published by Rimshot Music — December, 2017	Oboe with chamber ensemble	Not for loan	$181.82	Add to cart
Score	Spirit of the Wild : chamber concerto for oboe, piano, string quartet and double bass / Nigel Westlake. 1 score (62p. -- A4 (portrait)) Published by Rimshot Music — December, 2017 Library shelf no. 785.2417/WES 2	Oboe with chamber ensemble	Available for loan	$45.45	Add to cart

Display all products featuring this work (5 more)  

Work Overview

In mid 2016, following concert commitments in Hobart, I was invited by Bob Brown, one of Australia's leading environmentalists, to accompany him on a visit to Bathurst Harbour, a pristine waterway on the South West Coast of Tasmania contained within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Almost completely devoid of modern human intrusion, the area was the home of the Needwonnee people for many thousands of years, and is accessible only by boat, plane or foot.

It is a magical patchwork of button-grass moorlands, heathlands, and estuaries, bordered by jagged peaks, wild rivers and rugged coastlines.

My introduction to this place of exquisite beauty became the backdrop to my next project, an oboe concerto commission for the Sydney Symphony, and as I pondered the ensuing collaboration with soloist Diana Doherty, the memories and significance of my expedition with Bob continued to infuse my consciousness, leaving their fingerprints on the concerto score in subtle and mysterious ways.

As a young boy, my parents had introduced me to the wilds of Tasmania and I am forever grateful to them for instilling in me a deep love of Australia's wilderness fostered during numerous walking and boating expeditions.

My trip to Bathurst Harbour reminded me of the preciousness of the wilderness, & of mankind's propensity to become subsumed by materialism, neglecting our connection to country and the wonders of the natural world, choosing instead to value only those elements of our environment that can be quantified by monetary worth.

Such wild places are truly priceless and we exploit and destroy them at our peril.

Work on the concerto began when, in an act of courageous exploration, Diana dropped around to my studio one morning and allowed me to record her performing a dazzling stream of freeform improvisations. Always up for a challenge, she had accepted my invitation to do so with characteristic enthusiasm and good will.

To hear such an accomplished classical player liberate themselves from the constraints of the notated score in this way, enter "the zone" and follow their musical intuition through a myriad of patterns, riffs and sequences was a privilege indeed, and the best possible way for me to infiltrate Diana's highly unique, dynamic and virtuosic approach to the instrument. Her visit left me inspired and ready to start work.

Performed in a continuum, the concerto can be divided into 4 distinct sections, the first 2 of which are closely related in terms of energy and contour.

The third section is a slow movement where long, sustained oboe phrases are supported by a detailed filigree of repeated patterns that ebb and flow in dynamic waves.

A syncopated string hocket forms a bridge to the final section which is perhaps the most playful & extrovert in manner, building as it does to a traditional style big finish.

Work Details

Year: 2016

Instrumentation: Solo oboe, 4 horns, timpani, percussion (5 players), harp, piano, strings.

Duration: 22 min.

Difficulty: Advanced

Written for: Diana Doherty, Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Commission note: Commissioned with funds provided by Symphony Services International, Jane Mathews.

First performance: by Diana Doherty, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson at SSO: Westlake Oboe Concerto, Ravel’s Bolero (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall) on 22 Feb 2017

Cadenza added April 2019.

Analysis

Resonate article: 2019 Paul Lowin Prizes - finalists announced by Australian Music Centre

Resonate article: Nigel Westlake and Katy Abbott winners of the 2019 Paul Lowin Prizes by Australian Music Centre