The Boccaccio Project: “shadow of a difference / falling” by Richard Drehoff Jr.

Concerts from the Library of Congress developed The Boccaccio Project to provide some artistic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten composers were commissioned to write brief solo works, with the remotely recorded pieces premiered online in June 2020. Composer Richard Drehoff Jr. was paired with oboist Andrew Nogal of the Grossman Ensemble to write a new work for solo oboe entitled "shadow of a difference / falling," which premiered on June 16, 2020.

From the composer:
"shadow of a difference / falling" is a series of moments based around the idea of the proverbial bird beating its wings against its newfound cage in trepidation. Each impulse provides insight into its fragile disposition, venturing from moments of cautious curiosity, through forlorn wails and futile exertions, to a melancholy resignation of its confinement. The work exposes the bird’s vulnerability by exploring blurred inflections of pitch, unsteady and ever-wavering sweeps across registers, and sharp juxtapositions between timid and rash gestures.
~ Richard Drehoff Jr.

Видео The Boccaccio Project: “shadow of a difference / falling” by Richard Drehoff Jr. канала Library of Congress