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Work

Spirit of the Wild

by Nigel Westlake (2016)

Also known as: Concerto for oboe

Score Sample

View a sample of the score of this work
This sample is from the Oboe with orchestra version of this work

Audio Sample

Performance by Diana Doherty, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Nigel Westlake from the CD Spirit of the Wild, by Nigel Westlake, and The Desert Music, by Steve Reich

This sample is of the Oboe with orchestra version of this work

Versions of this work

Select from the following versions of this work to view more detailed information:

- Oboe with chamber ensemble

- Oboe with orchestra

Products featuring this work

Format Title Version AMC Library Price  

Parts

Spirit of the Wild : chamber concerto for oboe, piano, string quartet and double bass / Nigel Westlake.

Oboe with chamber ensemble Not for loan $181.82 Add to cart

Score

Spirit of the Wild : chamber concerto for oboe, piano, string quartet and double bass / Nigel Westlake.

Oboe with chamber ensemble Available for loan $45.45 Add to cart

Parts

Spirit of the Wild : SOLO OBOE PART ONLY / Nigel Westlake.

Oboe with orchestra Not for loan $30.00 Add to cart

Score & Part

Spirit of the Wild : concerto for oboe, Piano Reduction / Nigel Westlake.

Oboe with orchestra Not for loan $80.00 Add to cart

Score

Spirit of the Wild : concerto for oboe / Nigel Westlake.

Oboe with orchestra Not for loan $110.00 Add to cart

Score

Spirit of the Wild : concerto for oboe STUDY SCORE / Nigel Westlake.

Oboe with orchestra Available for loan $55.00 Add to cart

CD

Spirit of the Wild, by Nigel Westlake, and The Desert Music, by Steve Reich / Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conductors: Nigel Westlake and David Robertson.

Oboe with orchestra Not for loan Non-Commercial  

Work Overview

In mid 2016, following concert commitments in Hobart, I was invited by Bob Brown, one of Australia's leading environmentalists, to accompany him on a visit to Bathurst Harbour, a pristine waterway on the South West Coast of Tasmania contained within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Almost completely devoid of modern human intrusion, the area was the home of the Needwonnee people for many thousands of years, and is accessible only by boat, plane or foot.

It is a magical patchwork of button-grass moorlands, heathlands, and estuaries, bordered by jagged peaks, wild rivers and rugged coastlines.

My introduction to this place of exquisite beauty became the backdrop to my next project, an oboe concerto commission for the Sydney Symphony, and as I pondered the ensuing collaboration with soloist Diana Doherty, the memories and significance of my expedition with Bob continued to infuse my consciousness, leaving their fingerprints on the concerto score in subtle and mysterious ways.

As a young boy, my parents had introduced me to the wilds of Tasmania and I am forever grateful to them for instilling in me a deep love of Australia's wilderness fostered during numerous walking and boating expeditions.

My trip to Bathurst Harbour reminded me of the preciousness of the wilderness, & of mankind's propensity to become subsumed by materialism, neglecting our connection to country and the wonders of the natural world, choosing instead to value only those elements of our environment that can be quantified by monetary worth.

Such wild places are truly priceless and we exploit and destroy them at our peril.

Work on the concerto began when, in an act of courageous exploration, Diana dropped around to my studio one morning and allowed me to record her performing a dazzling stream of freeform improvisations. Always up for a challenge, she had accepted my invitation to do so with characteristic enthusiasm and good will.

To hear such an accomplished classical player liberate themselves from the constraints of the notated score in this way, enter "the zone" and follow their musical intuition through a myriad of patterns, riffs and sequences was a privilege indeed, and the best possible way for me to infiltrate Diana's highly unique, dynamic and virtuosic approach to the instrument. Her visit left me inspired and ready to start work.

Performed in a continuum, the concerto can be divided into 4 distinct sections, the first 2 of which are closely related in terms of energy and contour.

The third section is a slow movement where long, sustained oboe phrases are supported by a detailed filigree of repeated patterns that ebb and flow in dynamic waves.

A syncopated string hocket forms a bridge to the final section which is perhaps the most playful & extrovert in manner, building as it does to a traditional style big finish.

Work Details

Year: 2016

Duration: 22 min.

Awards & Prizes

Year Award Placing Awarded for/to
2019 Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize Winner Nigel Westlake

Analysis

Resonate article: 2019 Paul Lowin Prizes - finalists announced by Australian Music Centre

Resonate article: Nigel Westlake and Katy Abbott winners of the 2019 Paul Lowin Prizes by Australian Music Centre

Subjects

Performances of this work

14 Sep 2024: at QSO: Spirit of the Wild (QPAC Concert Hall). Featuring Umberto Clerici, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Diana Doherty.

13 Sep 2024: at QSO: Spirit of the Wild (QPAC Concert Hall). Featuring Diana Doherty, Umberto Clerici, Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

4 May 2019: at QSO: The Last Night of the Proms (QPAC Concert Hall). Featuring Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Northey, Diana Doherty.

4 Apr 2019: at CSO: Llewellyn One (Llewellyn Hall ANU School of Music). Featuring Jessica Cottis, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Diana Doherty.

3 Apr 2019: at CSO: Llewellyn One (Llewellyn Hall ANU School of Music). Featuring Jessica Cottis, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Diana Doherty.

8 Feb 2019: at SSO Season Opening Gala (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall). Featuring Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson, Diana Doherty.

5 Aug 18: Ukaria Cultural Centre, Mount Barker Summit SA. Featuring Spirit Ensemble.

15 Sep 2017: at Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Beijing (National Centre for Performing Arts (Beijing)). Featuring David Robertson, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Diana Doherty.

11 Jul 2017: at Lior and the Australian Youth Orchestra (Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall). Featuring Diana Doherty, Nigel Westlake, Australian Youth Orchestra.

10 Jul 2017: at Lior and the Australian Youth Orchestra (Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall). Featuring Australian Youth Orchestra, Nigel Westlake, Diana Doherty.

24 Feb 2017: at SSO: Westlake Oboe Concerto, Ravel’s Bolero (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall). Featuring Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson, Diana Doherty.

23 Feb 2017: at SSO: Westlake Oboe Concerto, Ravel’s Bolero (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall). Featuring Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson, Diana Doherty.

22 Feb 2017: at SSO: Westlake Oboe Concerto, Ravel’s Bolero (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall). Featuring Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson, Diana Doherty.

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