Just a Moment (2021)

For Two Antiphonal Oboes

Commissioned by Chelsea Music Festival and Dr. Michael Sporn

Dedicated to oboists John Ferrillo and Amanda Hardy

Program Note:

Just a Moment (2021) is a meditation on distance and intimacy. One oboe is placed on stage and the other off-stage at a distance within the performance space. They call out to each other, note-by-note, phrase-by-phrase, creating an unfolding melody, catching each other’s notes, embracing these tones and the space that divides them, with subtle unisons and half-step dissonances mingling in echoes. There is a magical, trance-like sense of contemplation to the work, but also a sense of dancing joy. The audience hears the oboe on stage, and the echoes of the other oboe in the hall, embracing and surrounding all in a sonic choreography that meets in the space between. What the experience of the struggles of the past year has taught me most is to appreciate fleeting moments of beauty and connection, and how these can sustain us.

- Eric Nathan

Performance Note:
Oboe 1 should placed on-stage, preferably in the center of the stage, and Oboe 2 should be placed off-stage, within the performance space, at a distance from Oboe 1. If the performance space has a balcony, Oboe 2 should ideally perform from the balcony. If there is no balcony, the off-stage Oboe should be placed in the audience portion of the hall, wherever is feasible. The goal is for there to be a perceived distance between the two oboes and for the audience to feel the off-stage oboe within their their space (within their midst, from behind, and/or above). Presenters/performers may decide where to place the off-stage oboe specifically based on their artistic interpretation of the work. If placing the off-stage oboe within the audience portion of the space is not ideal for a specific performance location, the performers can decide where to place the oboe (such as outside of the performance space/backstage, etc.). This piece is meant to be performed in many types of performance spaces (can be indoors or outdoors).

Recording:

Performed by John Ferrillo and Amanda Hardy, oboes.

Recorded at Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory (April 30, 2021)
Stephanie Rogers – Recording Engineer
Antonio Oliart Ros – Audio postproduction
K. Greene Productions – Videography