Vaughan Williams began work on his Oboe Concerto immediately upon completion of his Symphony No. 5 in D major. The concerto in fact uses themes originally intended for the Symphony. Leon Goossens, for whom it was written, gave the first performance in Liverpool on September 30, 1944. Pastoral in tone and expansively modal in expression, the Oboe Concerto is deceptively easy to listen to, given the considerable difficulties that Vaughan Williams sets for the accompanying string orchestra, which in the space of the concerto's eighteen minutes must navigate a host of technical challenges, all at dynamic levels that don't overwhelm the soft timbres of the solo instrument.

The first movement, Rondo Pastorale, opens with three soft chords from the strings, over which the oboe sounds a supple and pensive modal theme, which is developed in linear fashion over thoughtful commentary from the strings. From the outset, the oboe seems curiously alone with its thoughts—a solitary shepherd piping on a hillside? A livelier second theme, dance-like but rhythmically uneven, is introduced by the oboe and then taken up by the strings in canon. A return of the first theme brings about a moment of lovely contemplation, a short accompanied cadenza and a brief, somewhat sad conclusion. There is only a superficial nod to eighteenth century dance forms in the second movement, Minuet and Musette. The Minuet is indeed in three-quarter time, and the Musette makes use of a strong pedal point, but beyond that, the writing is plainly modern. Further, the two dances are seamlessly integrated, testament to Vaughan Williams' often overlooked subtlety. The movement is brief and leads directly to the finale, Scherzo. In the last movement, the writing for strings is supremely difficult, full of quick figurations and tricky counterpoint, over which the oboe sounds a chattering theme that quickly resolves into a feather-light waltz. A broader, more nostalgic melody serves as the second theme and recalls the shapes of themes already heard. There is a chromatic working out of the opening theme, quietly dissonant and in complex rhythm, before an aching, wistful passage in which the harmonies recall such neo-classicists as Wiren and Larsson, before a return of the quick waltz with the second theme in tow, and a richly harmonized slow coda. The three chords which began the work end it as well.



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