Peter Lawson

Song Of The Burnt-Tip Orchid

The Oboe Concertino was originally started in about 1980 as an Oboe Concerto for Gordon Hunt, whilst the Song of the Burnt-Tip Orchid was originally started in1990 as the 24th to be written in a cycle of musical portraits of the 48 wild orchids of Britain and Ireland, but scored for (wordless) Mezzo-soprano, Oboe and Harp. Both pieces remained untouched and very much incomplete for many years until 2015, when they were both totally rewritten and combined as a Concertino for Oboe and Orchestra with the subtitle Song of the Burnt-Tip Orchid. It is a miniature concerto in three short movements - about a miniature orchid.
The Song of the Burnt-Tip Orchid employs a colour-code for harmonies throughout, as in the other musical portraits. The first movement, Introduction, sets the scene of the orchid in its downland habitat. In its coda, the music fancifully follows the orchid's long rhizome and root - going down into the ground. The second movement, Romance, is, as it were, the 'song' of the orchid itself, tranquil but impassioned. The third, Dance, could be entitled 'the dance of the seeds' - orchid seeds are as fine as dust and can be whisked away in the wind and storms to land in other countries. Here, the colour-coded chords form a 5/4 rhythm and melodic shapes suggest Greek music. Contrasting orchestral tutti outbursts juxtapose the interplay of 3/4 and 6/8 rhythms so typical of Spanish music. This movement reflects the orchid's apparent affection for these two countries, where it can be most commonly found. Peter Lawson

Duration 7 1/2 minutes

The piano part is a reduction of the orchestral accompaniment but the work may be performed with piano as an alternative to orchestra, in which case it should be titled 'Song of the Burnt Tip Orchid' rather than 'Oboe Concertino'. The orchestral version is also available in the Goodmusic Concert Originals series - GMCO135