Programme Note
'Disparate' can either be pronounced as in the English, which means 'utterly different or distinct in kind'; there are 2 very different kinds of material involved in the piece. Or it can be pronounced as in the Spanish where it means a foolish remark or an architectural folly. At the end of Goya's life he produced some very haunting etchings called the 'Disparates' or 'Follies', which have a decidedly dream-like/nightmarish quality. This piece for oboe solo (written at the beginning of July in 2005) is dedicated to Melinda Maxwell and to the memory of her mother, Margaret. It was first performed by Melinda at the opening of the Kings Place concert hall in London's Kings Cross on the 1st of October 2008. It lasts around 7 minutes.
Simon Holt