Csardas Variations

^{Premiere: 14 September 2007 at Marsh Chapel, Boston University, Boston, MA. Gregory Grobe, oboe}

^{Duration: 6′}

^{Instrumentation: Solo oboe}

^{Score: View score sample}

^{Performance Note: I wrote my Csardas Variations in the spring of 2006 at the request of Dawn Stidd, a classmate of mine at the Boston Conservatory. At the time, I was particularly interested in crafting unpredictable – but still lyrical – atonal melodies and I remain particularly proud of the way the Variations’ opening theme turned out. It’s essentially in an atonal B minor and refers, in at least a couple of spots, to a Brahms Zigeunerlieder or two. Three variations follow, increasingly elaborating the melody, before a reprise of the original tune concludes this short piece.}