Dreamscape - OB/PN

Dreamscape
for oboe and piano
by Alyssa Morris (b. 1984) - American composer

Dreamscape tells the story of a dreamer. In the first movement, Falling Asleep and Chase, the "dreamer's motive" is introduced in the opening statement given by the oboe. This motive returns many times throughout the concerto. In this movement, the dreamer falls asleep and is immediately jarred into a dream of a frantic chase. The second movement, What?, depicts the strange dream. Whether it is pink polka-dotted elephants or flying pigs, this dream mixes plenty of abnormalities into a normal waltz. The third movement, Innuendo, is the dreamer's steamy love scene. Movement four, Nightmare and Awakening, begins with an unsettled return of the dreamer's motive, as if the dreamer is struggling to wake up but instead falls into a deeper state of sleep. The dream becomes a Nightmare. The tension increases until the orchestra halts and the oboe present a cadenza. After the oboe's singular plea, the dreamer awakens. The dreamer's motive is again presented, but this time with more clarity and optimism. The concerto ends quietly and introspectively. The dreamer, now aware of reality, has heightened clarity and is quietly grateful for life. 

Commissioned by William D. and Lois W. Johnson. Premiered February 27th, 2014 by Jeralee Johnson. This work is originally for oboe and orchestra. This piano reduction is by the composer. The complete score and set of orchestra parts is available on a rental basis directly from the composer. 

ABOUT THE COMPOSER:

Alyssa Morris has delighted audiences around the world with her “exceptional” and “soulful” musicianship (Fanfare Magazine). Alyssa serves as Assistant Professor of Oboe at Kansas State University and as the principal oboist of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra and Wichita Grand Opera.  She has appeared as a soloist in venues throughout the United States, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Western Europe.  Alyssa has previously held the position of Associate Principal Oboe in the Richmond (IN) Symphony Orchestra, and second oboe in the Utah Wind Symphony.  Her recent CD album release via MSR Classics, “A Higher Place,” has been hailed by American Record Guide as “gorgeous and thoughtful” with “stunning” performances, “unmistakable…virtuosity” and “deft emotional timing.” 

Regarding her equally expansive work as a composer, the American Record Guide writes that Dr. Morris’s music “has charm, piquancy, verve, and most importantly, substance.” Her chamber music is performed extensively around the world, and has been presented at the national and international conventions of IDRS, ICA, NFA, and SCI.  Dr. Morris is an International Barlow Composition Commission Award Winner.  She has additionally been commissioned to write music for the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Air Force Woodwind Quintet, and Carolyn Hove (principal English horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic) to name a few. Dr. Morris’s music has been recorded on the Equilibrium, Centaur, and MSR Classics labels.

Dr. Morris earned her BM and MM degrees at Brigham Young University, where she studied with Dr. Geralyn Giovannetti. She earned her DMA at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she studied with Dr. Mark Ostoich. 

For more information, please visit the composer's website at: http://www.alyssamorrismusic.com/