Silent Aria (Abridged Verion), from Suite for oboe and piano

Philip Herbert is a British composer based in Leicester. This delightful and wistful piece started life as a dance project with choreographer Henry Oguike, and was first performed in its entirety in 2013 in Leicester as part of Black History Month. This, slightly abridged version, gives the Oboe a singing line of great beauty. Herbert himself notes that he combines 'hypnotic and expressive melismas in the melodic line supported by the accompaniment supplied by the Piano, which draws on the influence of minimalism and chordal figuration that is to be found in some of the keyboard preludes of J.S. Bach'. The E flat section in the middle provides some contrast, and thedelicately ornamented ending brings the piece to a calm conclusion. The metronome mark should be carefully noted so that the piece floats and flows nicely without getting stuck and indulgent.

Grade 3