CD Review | Canadian Scenes: New Works for Oboe & Piano (Leaf Music, 2023)

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Canadian Scenes: New Works for Oboe & Piano
Charles Hamann, oboe; Frédéric Lacroix, piano
Leaf Music, June 2023

Five works for oboe and piano were commissioned by oboist Charles Hamann for this album, which depicts various aspects of Canadian identity. In collaboration with pianist Frédéric Lacroix (who also wrote one of the pieces on the album), Hamann sought to capture various aspects of Canada’s landscapes, and asked each composer to write a piece using nature as an inspirational starting point. Over the course of the album’s genesis, changes in climate and environment impacted the way works panned out. In the final products, Hamann’s musical interpretations capture the subtleties and nuances of each composer’s stylistic identity, all while incorporating what Hamann considers the “soulful, human quality of the oboe.”

The duo’s performance of Lacroix’s own contribution (“Ballade pour hautbois et piano”), is particularly enthralling. Listeners can hear the dedication to the music from the opening notes, especially as the oboe jumps into its high range with the opening phrase. This registral shift is not harsh, but rather demonstrates the expertise and control in Hamann’s playing. The piano accompaniment consists of dense chords, which foreshadows the eeriness of the middle section. The animated technical lines in the oboe against the dissonant clusters in the piano represent the perfervid inspiration behind Lacroix’s writing.

Another highlight of the album is its final work, Kelly-Marie Murphy’s Glacial Ablations for Oboe and Piano. Depicting the pristine beauty of northern Canada, this piece provides a welcome contrast to the earlier works on the album, which focus mainly on the landscapes of the southernmost and eastern provinces. Hamann does not shy away from experimentation in this piece, varying his use of vibrato, note lengths, and dynamic swells.

The album provides a new perspective on Canadian landscapes, and the musical possibilities of the oboe. The composers stray from the proto-romantic box the oboe is so often confined to, and this collection of their music explores the often untouched range and possibilities of the instrument.

This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Francais (French)