Concerto for Oboe – inspired on the life of Saint John Bosco
Composer: Henrique Coe
Year of composition: 2016
Program Note:
Concerto for Oboe and string orchestra or quintet was composed in 2016 and is inspired on the life of Saint John Bosco. With a total duration of approximately 16 minutes, the concerto is divided into three 3 movements.
The first movement, “Auxilium Christianorum” (Our Lady Help of Christians), is a sonata form and depicts courage and beauty. Based on a melody inspired on Gregorian chant, the second movement, “Mystica”, depicts the mystical aspects of the life of Don Bosco; for example, he knew beforehand the dates in which boys would die, so they could get prepared for death. Don Bosco is known for his work with the youth, and the Oboe Concerto’s third movement, “Juventus” (Youth), also in a sonata form, depicts joy but also tension, showing the life of the youth.
The world premiere of Concerto for Oboe took place on July 4, 2018 in Montréal at the petite salle paroisialle de la Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde et Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur. The performers for the world premiere were Fernando Gualda (oboe) and the Auriolus Quartet added by a bass player: Mana Shiraishi (violin), Katarzyna Fraj (violin), Margaret Carey (viola), Nicolas Cousineau (cello), and Marcin Garbulinski (contrabass).