Oboe Sonata, mvt 1 by Francis Poulenc with Prokofiev Drawing

One of my favorite pieces in our solo repertoire! Poulenc dedicated his oboe sonata to the memory of Sergei Prokofiev (pictured). Ironically, this piece was also Poulenc’s last full work and the order of movements, slow-fast-slow, is uncharacteristic for a sonata. The end of the last movement tapers to nothing on an A flat minor triad (arguably a minor v chord). Classical music typically ends with a dominant to tonic motion (V-I), so ending on a V is unusal and ending on a minor v is even more unusal. This leaves the listener with unresolved mournfulness, appropriate to Poulenc’s dedication to Prokofiev and even mourning his own death.