Still was written in 2006 for a project by the Albany Symphony Orchestra that featured solo pieces written by sixteen different composers, each inspired by a specific piece of artwork in the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York.  The works were performed in a “moving concert” – each piece performed next to the chosen piece of art.

The inspiration for Still was a painting entitled “Red-Black” by artist Lawrence Calcagno (1913-1993). I chose this large-scale work for its serene, meditative quality and its sense of spaciousness and depth.  Though abstract, it draws the viewer into a surreal landscape, as if entering a dream world of timelessness and tranquility.  I tried to reflect this feeling in the music with long, expressive phrases that gently push and pull.  Embellishments including pitch bends, colour trills and harmonics reflect the subtle shadings of the painting and of the oboe’s beautiful and distinctive timbre.