Kristin Sarvela, oboe
Riikka Talvitie’s Village Party is a whimsical musical journey for tap-dancing oboist and string quartet. As an oboist herself, Talvitie is aware that oboe’s less than three-octave range makes it difficult to create new extended techniques, but because tap shoes do not greatly affect an oboist’s embouchure, the combination of tap and oboe makes the piece both fresh and exciting. Anticipating that the oboist may not already be a tap-dancing expert, Talvitie includes a detailed description of the dance techniques involved, explains their notation in the score, and how they are to be accomplished. The piece includes an introduction, ten separate movements, and an improvised tap-dancing solo to be performed by the oboist, utilizing various rhythmic patterns explored in the piece. Because the piece itself is over twenty minutes long, this lecture recital will include demonstrations and incipits of the work, along with instructions on how to effectively learn and perform the piece.
