Judith Weir's 'Fresh Air' | The National Youth Orchestra & Andrew Gourlay

Judith Weir decided to write Fresh Air at the suggestion of NYO oboe tutor Melinda Maxwell, who observed that there was no contemporary music in existence for a large ensemble of woodwinds only, and that a work of this kind would be very useful especially for the large instrument groups of NYO Inspire. Judith's visit to Inspire activity in February 2020 in Liverpool revealed some really striking massed woodwind sounds, and the long period of Covid lockdown commencing the following month gave me the ideal opportunity to begin the new composition.
The piece is designed to showcase one woodwind at a time. We open with a 'mobile' for the flutes, with motifs spiralling up into the air. The bassoons follow; Judith took the opportunity to explore their beautiful low notes which are often obscured in orchestral writing. The clarinets then enter with great agility, travelling quickly through their remarkable range. The oboes foreground the final minutes, entering with a savage bagpipe-like tone, but closing in a mood of gentle melancholy. At the beginning of the piece and between movements, extended sounds are briefly explored - for instance key taps, and air sounds.
Judith chose the title 'Fresh Air' because she always remember, as an ex-oboist, the sensation, while playing, of deliberately breathing the old, used air out and then letting the new, fresh air in. Composing the piece during the years of lockdown also reminded me that "out in the fresh air" is nearly always the best place to be.
The woodwind section of NYO filmed and performed Judith Weir's Fresh Air at Saffron Hall on Sunday 16 April 2023.
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