IN THE FORESTS OF NEW GUINEA (2021) for solo oboe
Instrumentation: solo oboe
Duration: ~12’
Performance/Recording History:
Premiered virtually on 4/23/21 by Alessandro Cirafici, oboe, as a part of his recital for partial fulfillment of a performance diploma from Boston University.
Program Notes:
This piece was created in collaboration with and is dedicated to the wonderful oboist Alessandro Cirafici. It would not have come into existence without his generous guidance and support.
In the Forests of New Guinea is directly inspired by a short video titled “Bird of Paradise Courtship Spectacle” uploaded by BBC Earth. This video, a mere three minutes in length, depicts the astounding behavior of some of the most remarkable creatures on Earth: the Birds of Paradise which reside in the forests of Papua New Guinea. Additionally, the video is narrated by Sir David Attenborough, who possesses a narrating style that I feel is unparalleled. Although this piece is inspired by the quirky, abrupt, ineffective, and utterly fascinating behaviors of these Birds of Paradise, it is also tribute to Sir Attenborough and the positive impact his content has had on my childhood.
Around the time I wrote this piece, I had been writing a lot of heavier music, inspired by significant events and more serious things in the world, and I wanted to take a break from this kind of writing. So, I chose to take the short, lighthearted video and use it to create a lengthier work of music. This process of using a small, relatively insignificant thing as inspiration for a larger work of music was extremely refreshing and exhilarating, and not just because it involved Birds of Paradise. Maybe music doesn’t always have to deal with the major questions surrounding the human existence to be meaningful and enjoyable. Maybe, just maybe, sometimes it’s valid to write a 12 minute piece about an obscure group of birds and their intriguing methods of finding mates.
-Jonah Cohen, April 2021
Note: the titles of each of the three movements are all direct quotations from the video “Bird of Paradise Courtship Spectacle” uploaded by BBC Earth (which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWfyw51DQfU). I do not intend to take credit for these phrases in any way.