Current Commissions
2025
"Scottish" Oboe Trio by Edwin Roxburgh
"Raving winds around her blowing"
based on a poem 'Raving winds around her blowing" by Robert Burns composed in 1788 and a melody - "McGrigor of Rora's Lament" composed in 1784 sourced from Macdonald's Highland Airs.
Raving winds around her blowing,
Yellow leaves the woodlands strowing,
By a river hoarsely roaring,
Isabella stray'd deploring:-
'Farewell hours that late did measure
Sunshine days of joy and pleasure.
Hail, thou gloomy night of sorrow -
Cheerless night that knows no morrow'
'O'er the past too fondly wandering,
On the hopeless future pondering,
Chilly Grief my life-blood freezes,
Fell Despair my fancy seizes.
'Life, thou soul of every blessing,
Load to Misery most distressing,
Gladly how would I resign thee,
And to dark oblivion join thee!'
The work is dedicated to Robin Miller, ex-principal oboe Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBCSO,
a founder member of the Nash Ensemble and Judy Proctor's teacher.
This commission from the Lonarc Foundation to compose a work for the Lonarc Oboe Trio was very special because it included the need for a Scottish subject.
Having set a Burns poem in a previous commission from Menuhin when I was his House Composer for the Festival Orchestra, I immediately saw the potential for the same poem in a new work.
The first movement is a set of free variations on a theme which accompanied the poem in M'Grigor of Rora's Lament.
Avoiding the use of a drone the theme is presented with Scottish-style ornamentation in all three instruments.
The variations are mostly contrapuntal.
The second movement is an Elegy relating to the sad character of Isabella in the poem.
The third movement is a Toccata with contrasting episodes.
It exploits the virtuosity of the Lonarc Oboe Trio players to an intensive degree, but also their exquisite artistry.
Edwin Roxburgh May 2025
I am so pleased with this Scottish 'Theme and Variations' commission from Edwin. The fact that the Burns poem and melody were composed in the 1780's, at the time the very first classical oboe trios were being composed by Johan Went and played by the Teimer brothers in Bohemia. It will make for a very equitable pair of Roxburgh Oboe Trios alongside his 1984 'Shadow-Play' to balance the Beethoven Oboe Trios in our upcoming recording which will be released this September 2025. There are references to bagpipe drones and pibroch twiddles in these late18th century oboe trios so I am presuming that the Schwarzenberg Princes also employed a bagpiper in their military regiment. I love bagpipe music. I moved to Edinburgh when I had just turned 12 years old. My father was in the army and we were posted to Dreghorn Camp on the south side of Edinburgh. Every morning at 0700 we were serenaded by a bagpiper. I was also very fortunate to meet Robin Miller who was principal oboe with Scottish Chamber Orchestra and studied with him 1979-81 before coming down to London to study at RAM
Judy Proctor Cor Anglais Lonarc Oboe Trio, Artistic Director of the Lonarc Foundation
this commission has been made due to the generous funding from the Vaughan Williams Foundation
