Adieu mon frère

This is the programme notes that I wrote for the first performance:

Written especially for tonight’s performance, ‘Adieu’ not only explores the timbre of the oboe and piano but also paints an elegiac landscape. The poem by Guillaume Apollinaire best illlustrates the spirit that lies behind the music:

L'Adieu

J'ai cueilli ce brin de bruyère

L'automne est morte souviens-t'en

Nous ne nous verrons plus sur terre

Odeur du temps Brin de bruyère

Et souviens-toi que je t'attends

The Farewell

I’ve gathered this sprig of heather

Autumn is dead you will remember

On earth we’ll see no more of each other

Fragrance of time sprig of heather

Remember I wait for you forever

Composed in 2004. First performed by Christopher Redgate and Ian Pace.

Adieu mon frère.

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