Cuong, Concerto for Two Oboes

I featured Re(new)al by Viet Cuong in Friday Performance Pick 450, and here were are a mere 10 weeks later with another work by the same composer. I would not usually have two works by the same composer in such quick succession, but this Concerto for Two Oboes is quite different from Re(new)al. And besides, we don’t usually have our own interviews with the composer (many of them being no longer available) as we do with Mr. Cuong to help the discussion along. I will repost it here in case you missed it.

When we recorded our interview just a few short years ago, this concerto was in the works, but not yet completed.

The Concerto for Two Oboes could be categorized as neo-Baroque. Cuong has noted the popularity of concertos for two oboes in the Baroque era, particularly in Italy, with works by Vivaldi, Albinoni, and Marcelo. He draws heavily on Baroque styles and harmonies in the piece. On the more modern side of the equation, he explores the use of multiphonics where the instruments sounds two or more pitches simultaneously with a somewhat distorted sound.

As with the choreography in Re(new)al, Cuong adds some lighthearted drama with one oboist using multiphonics to mock the other. Cuong describes how the work progresses:

After a short Vivaldi-esque introduction that establishes the main melodic ideas of the piece, the oboists go at it. They mock each other, squawk at each other, and even talk over each other. The orchestra observes and joins in as the oboists continually bicker back and forth, all culminating in a reconciliation where the once-hesitant oboist learns (and even enthusiastically performs) a few multiphonics alongside the other oboist.