VanguardTV: Collision Etude No. 4, "Rainbow" by Alyssa Morris

Alyssa Morris writes some of the most interesting, fun, and engaging new music for oboe, and her Collision Etudes are no exception. This set of six etudes are an homage-of-sorts to another well-known etude collection, the Six Etudes pour Hautbois by French composer Gilles Silvestrini, which are each inspired by a French Impressionist painting. Similarly, Morris’ Collision Etudes are inspired by six paintings by American women. In today’s video, I play the fourth of these etudes, titled Rainbow, after a work by 20th-century African-American painter Alma Thomas from her collection “Moving Heaven and Earth.”

Alma Thomas (1891–1978)
Rainbow, 1978
acrylic on canvasboard

The piece unfolds in five distinct sections, each corresponding to a block of color in the painting, with the key centers determined by chromesthesia (sound-to-color synesthesia). A key element of the etude, and one of my favorite things about it, is Morris’ use of harmonics, or alternate fingerings for certain notes on the oboe that create a different tone color. From the very beginning, you’ll hear me oscillate between two versions of the same note that have slightly different qualities. Another great feature of Rainbow is Morris’ use of some of the highest notes on the oboe towards the middle of the etude. Though playing those notes can be tough, it’s also a lot of fun!