English Resonance

Juliana Koch - principal oboe of the London Symphony Orchestra - and Novo Quartet come together in English Resonance — a chamber concert where English repertoire and Danish connections are brought together through the voice of the oboe. Music by Benjamin Britten and Gerald Finzi is set in dialogue with Gudrun Lund and Erik Satie in a programme ranging from solo oboe to ensemble playing with string trio and string quartet. Britten's Phantasy Quartet, Op. 2, opens the programme with oboe and string trio. Gudrun Lund's Oboe Quartet adds a Danish composer's voice and a different perspective on the same line-up. Here the oboe can both step forward and join the ensemble's shared expression. In Britten's Metamorphoses after Ovid, Op. 49, the oboe stands alone. Without the ensemble around it, the instrument's own voice and the soloist's interpretation become the focus of the concert. The solo work forms a contrast to the conversations of chamber music and gives room to listen to the oboe up close. The strings return in Satie's Gymnopédies, arranged by Hans Abrahamsen for oboe and string quartet. The arrangement places the composer's music in a new tonal setting. The concert ends with Finzi's Interlude, Op. 21, likewise for oboe and string quartet, so that oboe and strings are once again joined in a shared sound. It is an afternoon with room for both the individual voice and the ensemble's interplay — and for the connections that arise between the works when they are heard together. Programme Benjamin Britten — Phantasy Quartet, Op. 2 · for oboe and string trio Gudrun Lund — Oboe Quartet Benjamin Britten — Metamorphoses after Ovid, Op. 49 · for solo oboe Erik Satie — Gymnopédies · arranged for oboe and string quartet by Hans Abrahamsen Gerald Finzi — Interlude, Op. 21 · for oboe and string quartet Performers Juliana Koch (oboe) Kaya Kato Møller (violin), Nikolai Vasili Nedergaard (violin), Daniel Śledziński (viola), Signe Ebstrup Bitsch (cello)

• Juliana Koch

RECORDINGS OF THE WORKS

Gerald Finzi: Interlude, op. 21

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