Question

I’m a student and I will have my exam recital this May. The program has to contain a modern/contemporary piece (my teacher claims Poulenc and Britten do not fall into that category, they are too old). So, I’m out of ideas!

I would like to find an interesting/cool/beautiful piece and not strange just for the sake of being strange, also one that I can have a chance to play good by May. Since I’m playing another solo piece on the concert, it would be good if the piece was not solo too. I really have no clue about contemporary oboe repertoire, so I would be grateful for any tip.

Answer

Paul Reade has some great oboe music. One of my favorite all-time oboe pieces is his “Suite from Jane Eyre”. You can hear a snippet of it here:

Suite from Jane Eyre by Paul Reade (Live Performance, Rochester NY)

On the total other side of the spectrum is a piece called “Obsession” by Shinohara.