The Banksia - SOLO OB

In 2008, Powning composed The Banksia for solo oboe, an atmospheric piece inspired by a genus of plants of which some fifty species are found throughout Australia and into New Guinea. The plants range in size from shrubs to trees and have densely packed cone-like inflorescnces, which open from the bottom upwards and can contain 1000 flowers each. These distinctive and characteristic plants belong to the Proteaceae, a family which also includes the genus Protea, well known in the flora of South Africa. 

Banksia is named in honor of Sir Joseph Banks, who lived from 1743 to 1820. Banks was a member of Cook expedition in the 1770s, and was a prominent botanist. 

7/19/2023 - This piece is currently unavailable as the publisher has gone out of business.