NEW RECORDING: Rhapsody for Double Reeds
Following the partial premiere of Rhapsody for Double Reeds in Puerto Rico this February, Dr. Rong-Huey Liu - one of the performers and guest artists of Puerto Rico Double Reed Day - had a fun challenge and request for me: could I rearrange the Rhapsody to be performed for a different instrumentation at a summer orchestral academy?
I leapt at the chance to rework the music—from the original arrangement for 2 oboes and 3 bassoons to 3 oboes and 2 english horns. Though both ensembles include oboes, changing out the bassoons for english horns presented very different opportunities. And challenges:
By collapsing the musical range available (with an ensemble of bassoons and oboes, I could write from almost the bottom octave on piano all the way to the piano’s top register; an ensemble of oboes and english horns has a narrower, higher average range), this project forced me to contend with how much my musical language uses registral contrasts between high and low to drive musical energy, character, and intrigue.
Without that tool in my tool kit, I had to find other ways to generate musical interest —a fun way for me to stretch!
The members of the premiering ensemble range from (talented!) high schoolers to professional musicians with masters degrees in music performance. All are members of the 2025 Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy whose oboists are trained and guided by Dr. Rong-Huey Liu, oboe professor at CSU Fullerton and CSU LA and principal oboist in the Fresno Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony, Reno Chamber Orchestra and Riverside County Philharmonic.
I’m quite happy with the way the arrangement worked out and ensemble gave it an energetic first outing: from the chipper opening to the tender climax a few minutes in; from the stern central section through the joyful dance that brings the music to a close. Each member of the quintet had a least a moment to shine, led by Alessandra Ramos’ mellifluous oboe and Elian Kleparet’s noble english horn.
2025 FOOSA Oboe Ensemble
Oboes
Alessandra Ramos
Lela Buck
Ryan Chen
English horns
Elian Kleparet
Kayla de Guzman
Congratulations to the performers—who in the following week also performed the Rite of Spring at the Walt Disney Concert Hall! (BONUS POINTS for those who can find my Rite of Spring reference in the 2nd English Horn part of the Rhapsody!)—and thank you to Dr. Rong-Huey Liu for trusting me with this collaboration; it seems like all involved got something meaningful from it: I’m told the piece was a fan favorite and I’m not going to argue with the cheering audible at the end of their performance!!