Scene Rustique

Leslie Odom’s debut solo Ravello Records album, SCENE RUSTIQUE, introduces rarely-performed solo works for oboe by five female composers of the twentieth century. The pieces range from light, vernacular-inspired dance pieces to neo-classical and neo-romantic works. The selections showcase the many abilities of the oboe from lush, lyrical melodies full of romance and interpretation, to more playful technical passages filled with syncopation and chromaticism.

Dranishnikova’s Poème was written in 1953 for V.M. Kurlin, the solo oboist of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. This piece represents a tragic love affair through its smooth, yet somber melodic lines, featuring more complex passages of agitation. The late-romantic work Poème presents extreme musical elements including a constant changing meter, key signature, and intense syncopation between the oboe and piano.

Chrétien’s Scene Rustique showcases variations of a four-note figure that develops more and more through ornamentation, and rapid key and tempo changes. The main theme of the piece is a Mozart-like pastoral melody then comes into play in the second section and is that instantly interposed by an episode of variations of the original four-note figure. The piece climaxes with a presto section pushed by a vibrant piano solo, culminating with an abrupt interruption by the pastoral melodic theme.