Commissioned by Melinda Maxwell.

The title ...from a distant shore... refers to the description in the biblical book of Exodus of Miriam, sister of Moses and Aaron, and her companions singing, playing and dancing on the shore of the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea) as the Israelites escape from Egyptian slavery. It is the first documented song of freedom in Western literature and, uniquely for its time, features woman, as opposed to mythical female figures, as celebrants. Indeed, Miriam is described as a priestess.

When Melinda Maxwell asked me to write her a piece, the idea of a solo oboe conjured up in my mind’s ear the sound of an ancient reed pipe, the biblical imagery following almost immediately. The piece consists of three linked sections, both temporally and in terms of material. The first portrays the woman swaying and intoning on the shore, and gradually moves towards the (central) dance of freedom; at its climax, this is transformed into a sustained and intense melodic line, the music eventually fading away. The piece hopefully illustrates the fact that, although the event depicted took place at least 4000 years ago, it remains a reality.