''Gestural Variations'', Op. 43, is a trio composition by

Graham Waterhouse Graham Waterhouse (born 2 November 1962) is an English composer and cellist who specializes in chamber music. He has composed a cello concerto, '' Three Pieces for Solo Cello'' and '' Variations for Cello Solo'' for his own instrument, and str ...

in 1997 originally for

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

and piano. Later versions are scored for

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

, cello and piano (1999) and

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, cello and piano (2009).

Movements

The composition of about 14 minutes presents a theme with six character variations, framed by an introduction and a postlude. Each variation expresses a movement or gesture similar to a

mime artist A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...

or a dancer. * Introduction * Theme * Var. 1 (abrupt, jerky) * Var. 2 (slow, graceful) * Var. 3 (fleeting, breathless) * Var. 4 (pensive, hesitating) * Var. 5 (threatening, menacing) * Var. 6 (exuberant, ebullient) * Postlude

History

''Gestural Variations'', op. 43, was commissioned by bassoonist Henry Skolnick and written for the annual conference 1997 of the

International Double Reed Society The International Double Reed Society (IDRS), is an organization that promotes the interests of double reed players, instrument manufacturers and enthusiasts. Services provided by the IDRS include an international oboe and bassoon competition, an ...

(IDRS). It was first performed in 1997 by John Dee, Henry Skolnick and José Lopez at the

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

. G. Salter remarked in the "Double Reed News": "The composer's purposeful use of ambiguous, shifting harmonies and overlapping unisons sets these contrasts in miniature apart from much that is being written today, conveying the uncertainties of our times." This first version follows the scoring of Poulenc's

Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano The ''Trio pour hautbois, basson et piano'' (Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano), FP 43, by Francis Poulenc is a three-movement chamber work, composed between 1924 and 1926, and premiered in the latter year. The trio was well received at its premi ...

. A second version, op. 43a, was written in 1999 for

, cello and piano, a trio combination for which Beethoven composed his '' Trio'' op. 11 (''Gassenhauer-Trio''),

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

his ''Klarinettentrio'' op. 114 and

Alexander Zemlinsky Alexander Zemlinsky or Alexander von Zemlinsky (14 October 1871 – 15 March 1942) was an Austrian composer, conducting, conductor, and teacher. Biography Early life Zemlinsky was born in Vienna to a highly diverse family. Zemlinsky's grandfat ...

his ''Trio'' op. 3, among others. This setting of Gestural Variations appears on a recording ''Portrait'', a selection of the composer's chamber music on Cybele Records, played by Markus Schön as the clarinettist, Waterhouse as the cellist, and Michael Wendeberg as the pianist. A review of Hubert Culot stated: The "highly contrasted variations display a remarkable instrumental mastery, that makes this work a feast from first to last." The versions were published by Hofmeister, Leipzig, in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Gestural Variations in a third version, op. 43b, for oboe, cello and piano was awarded a prize at the competition of ''Via Nova'' in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

and premiered there on 31 March 2000. The UK premiere of the clarinet version was played on 5 November 2002 in a Composer Portrait Concert with Graham Waterhouse in the St. Cyprian's Church in London. The original version opened the Welcome Recital 6 of the British Double Reed Society at the IDRS conference 2009 in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, played by Richard Simpson, Julie Price and Janet Simpson. A fourth version, op. 43c, for

, cello and piano was premiered at the

Gasteig The Gasteig is a currently closed cultural center in Munich, opened in 1985, which hosts the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. The Richard Strauss Conservatory, the Volkshochschule, and the municipal library are all located in the Gasteig. Most ...

Munich on 20 December 2009, played by

Jens Josef Jens Josef (born 5 August 1967) is a German composer of classical music, a flutist and academic teacher. Career Born in Solingen-Ohligs, Josef received flute instructions from Rita Eggenweiler and Klaus Grünow, principal flute of the Staatsth ...

, Waterhouse, and

Rudi Spring Rudi Spring (born 17 March 1962) is a German composer of classical music, pianist and academic. He is known for vocal compositions on texts by poets and his own, and for chamber music such as his three Chamber Symphonies. Career Born in Lindau ...

. This version was played there again on 11 April 2010, this time with Christopher White as the pianist.

References

External links

Graham Waterhouse
website
Entries for Gestural Variations
on

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

{{Authority control Chamber music by Graham Waterhouse Contemporary classical compositions Variations 1997 compositions