Works for Oboe/English Horn

7. Six Lowly Variations on the Flying Dutchman (In Canada), Op. 54 (1996) This work is scored for Bass Clarinet and the relatively obscure instrument, the Bass Oboe. It was commissioned by Lawrence Cherney and Henri Bok. I chose to write a set of variations on Wagner's overture to The Flying Dutchman. The work is quite demanding for the two instrumentalists.

6. In Memoriam, Op. 43e (1991) This is an arrangement for English Horn and Clarinet of my work In Memoriam. Of the many arrangements of that piece, this one is rather unique in that, after each instrument plays the work solo, they play it again in canon. It received a very effective and moving performance in Banff in 1991.

5. In Memoriam, Op. 43c (1992) This is an arrangment for English Horn and Piano of my work In Memoriam.

4. In Memoriam, Op. 43a (1991) This is an arrangement for solo English Horn of my work In Memoriam.

3d. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42d (1997) In 1997, I was asked to arrange The Maiden's Lament for chamber orchestra. The first performances were relatively successful but I feel I need to rework the orchestration and hope to do so in the near future. This version incorporates the continous song-cycle

3c. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42c (1991) A few years after the premiere of The Maiden's Lament, Lawrence Cherney asked me to rework the piece, substituting a Harp for the Piano and separating the five songs. The result was a very successful version of the original piece. The harp certainly adds a more definitive folk element to the work.

3b. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42b (incomplete) This version of The Maiden's Lament has not been completed yet. This version will be a continuous song cycle for Soprano, Oboe (Clarinet/Violin) and Harp.

3a. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42a (incomplete) This version of The Maiden's Lament has not been completed yet. This version will be an individual song cycle for Soprano, Oboe (Clarinet/Violin) and Piano.

3. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42 (1991) Oboist Lawrence Cherney asked me to write this work for Soprano, Oboe and Piano incorporating Newfoundland folksongs. I chose five songs which, together, form a song-cycle in which a young girl meets and falls in love with a sailor-boy then loses him to the ravages of the sea. In place of the oboe, a clarinet or violin can be used. The version for clarinet, soprano and piano has been recorded on the CD LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet (available at the Canadian Music Centre). Following the premiere, Lawrence Cherney asked me to rework the piece separating the songs and replacing the piano with a harp (see The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42c). This has prompted me to create four chamber versions of this work: a continuous and individual song-cycle using the piano, and a continuous and individual song-cycle using the harp. Not all of these versions have been realized yet. See the various entries above. Finally there is also a version for chamber orchestra (see The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42d).

2. Requiem Parentibus, Op. 34 (1986) This work was commissioned by Lawrence Cherney (oboe) for a tour he was giving in Newfoundland with the Brunswick String Quartet. It is the first of several works I eventually wrote following the deaths of various members of my family. Requiem Parentibus (Requiem for my Parents) followed the sudden death of my father in 1985. It is a difficult work to play and yet the performers seem to find it a gratifying experience.

1. Shanadithit, Op. 29 (1983) This work was commissioned by the Victoria International Festival in 1983, a year that celebrated the arrival of Sir Humphrey Gilbert to Newfoundland in 1583. Even though the work was to be premiered as far away from Newfoundland as possible and still be in Canada, I decided to focus on a Newfoundland theme and to create a work based on the tragic extinction of the Beothucks, the aboriginal inhabitants of Newfoundland. Shanadithit was the last of the Beothucks and the work describes and pays tribute to her life and death. It is scored for string trio, woodwind quintet, piano (harpsichord), and percussion. It has been performed many times and usually creates quite a stir!