Sequenza VIIa – for Solo Oboe

My “Sequenzas” for monodic instruments (flute, trombone, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, bassoon) call for a polyphonic listening, partly based on a fast transition between different characters and on their simultaneous interaction. In “Sequenza VII” for oboe I carry on the research of a latent polyphony putting into perspective the complex sound structures of the instrument with an ever-present “tonic”: a B natural that can be played pianissimo by any other instrument, behind the stage or in the audience. It is a harmonic perspective that contributes to a subtler analytic insight of the various stages of transformation of the solo part. “Sequenza VII” was written in 1969 for Heinz Holliger. (L. Berio)