Day 15: Howells’s Sonata for oboe and piano

Day 15: Howells’s Sonata for oboe and piano

Howells! Now there’s a good Welsh name for you! Only he wasn’t! Or at least, he was born in Lydney in Gloucestershire, so I guess that makes him English! His name may well make several appearances in this diary of music I am listening to as I do seem to have quite a few of his works in my collection, although I really don’t remember listening to any of them before!!!

I think Howells is more usually remembered for his choral works, but I chose to listen to the oboe sonata, although I must admit the oboe isn't one of my favourite instruments, generally to me it tends to sound a bit “waily”. The sonata itself seems to be in four movements and lasts about 20 minutes. It’s quite a roller coaster of a ride with lots of sparky, jumpy rhythms and what to me seem like disjointed tunes.

Ah, now I’ve just opened the sleeve in the CD and it says here: “the piece … was to wait forty-two years for its premiere, given by Sarah Francis and Peter Dickinson at the Cheltenham Festival on 9 July 1984.” That’s a long time! Strangely, the recording I listened to was also of Sarah Francis and Peter Dickinson.

However, if you’ve never listened to much oboe music before I’m not sure this is the easiest introduction to it!