I. A mountain
II. Fixation
III. Flowers
IV. Fountains

Metamorphoses after Britten is just that: four miniatures, each inspired by one of Benjamin Britten’s Six Metamorphoses after Ovid for solo oboe. Each movement, over its short course, transforms gradually from one thing to another, ending, with the exception of Fountains, in a short, cathartic coda. Some of the movements also take specific musical elements from Britten’s pieces.

I very much viewed these pieces as musical Haiku, and in that sense I hope they embody a sense of peace, brevity and simplicity.

Any number of movements from this set can performed on their own, in any combination that makes musical sense to the performer. Different versions of this piece for oboe, saxophone, clarinet and bassoon, are available separately.

Metamorphoses after Britten (in the original version for oboe) is dedicated to Melinda Maxwell, who premiered it at the University of York, November 2010.