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Each excerpt is meant to be a vignette in which I tried to capture a specific personality in a musical sub text. "Brahms Violin Concerto," although a concerto for violin, is one of the most practiced excerpts in the oboe orchestral repertoire and also one of the most beautiful. This movement is much like the original but with some improvisation and technical flourishes. "Silken Ladder" is like a mini opera in effect combining the oboe excerpt with a vocal part. As such, the Andantino at m. 45 is to be played with great freedom, as if the oboist were actually a singer. "Tchaikovsky Fourth" is schizophrenic, alternating between the placid solo and frantic inserts reflecting the chaos of Tchaikovsky's inner turmoil. "Tombeau de Couperin" is an etude based on the two main themes from the Prelude and the Forlane (mv. 1 &3) of Ravel's work. "Schubert's Great," Andante con moto, contains one of the most satisfying solos in the repertoire as the oboe part, in addition to being beautiful, is also comfortable to play. The accompaniment is never too heavy, and although the oboe is featured throughout, Schubert strategically placed the rests so the player never feels overtaxed. This variation includes its own accompaniment. "Beethoven's March Funebre" is a bit of a musical joke in that the somber funeral march is interrupted by a light-hearted pop tune, and in spite of a couple of attempts to return to the dignity of the march, the tune wins out. "Brandenburg no. 2" takes into consideration the similarity between Bach's motor rhythm and typical fiddling techniques (only played on the oboe!) All three movements get quoted.