This brief abstraction strives to embody those qualities of the oboe which I find particularly characteristic: it is at once plaintive and playful.  Rather than contrasting these characteristics through juxtaposition, as with previous (and subsequent) pieces, I “grew” a single idea from one characteristic to the other.  The plaintive, simple three-note motive at the beginning is treated to a series of transformations which culminate in the playful, if not vigorous, climactic section. Adam Schweigert, oboe, at Indiana University.