Tristan Wilson – Overpasses

Tristan Wilson

Overpasses for oboe and piano

(2023-24)

© 2024 by Tristan Wilson (ASCAP)

Tristan Wilson (b. 2002) Overpasses (2023-24) Duration: c. 5.5 mins.

Premiered on April 6, 2024 Grayson Eichmeier, oboe Gabriel Stossel, piano Cleveland Institute of Music – Kulas Hall Performance Note If the juxtaposition of the 8:9 polyrhythm with the intermittent straight 16th notes in the piano part (mms. 99-105) proves too complex to perform accurately with the oboe line, the right hand rhythm can be adjusted such that it lines up more regularly with the left hand/oboe hocket.

Composer’s Note Having grown up in as car-centric a city as Detroit, I have always been struck by the stark kind of beauty in highway overpasses and interchanges—disparate roadways overlapping and intertwining before continuing on to their respective destinations. This piece attempts to capture something of what I find interesting in these structures—the oboe and piano overlap, play off of one other, and occasionally coalesce before splitting off again.

This piece is also simultaneously meant as an homage to the British composer Michael Nyman, whose music I heard often growing up and which has proved to be an indelible influence on my style. Overpasses was inspired particularly by repeated listenings to Nyman’s piece Shaping the Curve, for soprano saxophone and piano.

The works share many similarities, but where Nyman bases his piece on one sequence of four chords, the material in Overpasses is instead spun out of three sources (one melody and two short chord progressions) that are each developed in turn, before something approaching Nyman’s four chords makes a glowing appearance in the coda.

Overpasses lasts between five and six minutes in performance.

Overpasses for oboe and piano Tristan Wilson

                                                                                                      Pushing ahead ( = 160)

Oboe

Piano



                                         

5

Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



 

 

    

  

    

                                

13



 



  

   

                 

                                                                  

 

 



         

                                

9

 

      







 



       

   

 







 



   

                                     

   

© 2024 by Tristan Wilson (ASCAP)

             

2

  



17

Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



 





 







 

22

        

 

26

  

  



  

              

30

        

  

  

              decresc.    



 

    

       

             

   

    

     



           

  





   





 

  





  





  



             

 

3:2

 

   

 

    



  



   

  

  





  



 

     

             

  

    

      

    





   

   

   

   

   







 



  





      

  







       

3

  



    

  

34

Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



      

38

           

42

      

    



    



     

      

   

         

 

             

 

 



  

     sub.       

        

  

             

   

   

 

46

  

    

  









( )

    

    





  

   

    

    



 





   

   



         



    

  



  

   

     



        

















      marcato                                   

   



  



  

  

  

  



      

  



 

4

   



50

Ob.

Pno.



  

 

    



               



         



Ob.

 =  ( = 80)   

Pno.

      dim.   

   

        cresc.            

   



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.





54

 

60



       

 

3



 

         

3 

3

3

 

  







  

 



   



 

        



   

 





 

57

      

 N 

 

   

5



  

 

  

 

 

 

    

 

 N  N  N 

        







5





 

   

         3 3        



  

(N)

5

 





5 63

Pno.





Pno.



Pno.



Pno.





 





    

                  

 

72

5

5



68



Ob.

6

3

 =  ( = 160)                                         6                                                 



Ob.

6

65

5

Ob.

6

5

                                                   3 3       

Ob.

6

 

                            

poco rit.



       

 

    

        







  

   



  

       

       

   

   

        

 

6

Ob.

Pno.

 

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.





                                                                           

77



  



  





                                                       79



Ob.



Still with energy ( = 150)

 

Ob.

Pno.



 

75





   

 

 

   

    3

                                         



  







                                                            

81

 

7



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Pno.





  



3



  



 



sub.



  

                     8:9 8:9                                                  , bring out l.h.        

85

87



 





 8:9

  

 









 

8:9

 



                                      

89



Ob.



      3                                    

83











 8:9

 



 







 



 8:9

 



 



                                             













8

 

91

Ob.

      



   

          

   

5:6 5:6                                                           Pno.                      93          Ob.    





5:6

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



                                                      

95

   





             



 sub., hazy     









 

     



 

 





 

 

una corda

 

97

   

     



  

 



    

                      



9

                                         , delicate (hocket with piano l.h.)                      8:9 8:9 , delicate; bring out r.h.                                

99 (2 + 2 + 2 + 3)

Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.





tre corde

    

101

 





     







            8:9



         

103

 





 8:9

 



 





    

               

105

5:6



  

    



          

          

 



 

              





 

  





  





 





                       8:9 









 



ritard.

   N

 







      

          5:6



 



10

Ob.

 

Pno.

         

107

 

Ob.

Pno.











     

     

111





           3  

 

115

  

       3

 





5



  









 

 



   

 

  



                          legato, almost smeary                                                119

3



 =  ( = 60)                      

Ob.

 

Pno.

                  , crystalline                          una corda





   





Ob.

Pno.



Somewhat resigned ( = 120)



11 122

 

Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



 





 

 



3

                                        



124

 







 

    



5

  



3   





       



126

        



  

   

  

  

 

poco rall.

 



 3                  6    3









6

3

6

                      6

                      

     









         



128

 

a tempo

                





      

6

5

3



 tre corde

12 131



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.





      

          

      



Growing bolder ( = 96)                    sub.                 sub.  

                                       

134

               

     

    



           

               

          

              

              

               

    

137



   

      

                                                     5:4                                                       

140

13

143



Ob.

Pno.



Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.

         

146



Ob.



                                                         

        





                          

        

                     

                                 5:4

                   

                   

 

                                                                                 marc.                              

149

                          

152

                                

              

       

   

 

  

   

14

  

  

155

Ob.

Pno.



Pno.



Ob.

Pno.



Ob.

Pno.

  

         157



Ob.



 

       

              

    



 



  

cresc. al fine

         

 

cresc. al fine

 

162

 



  

     

     

   

 

 

 







    



                

         

5:4

 

 

  

          

              

 



     

  





           

  

   

 





                            

   

    

            







                             160

poco accel. ad lib.

        

 

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