Leaf Turns?was first sketched on a windy autumn day. Swirling, tumbling, bright orange and yellow leaves inspired me to write dancing music celebrating the agility of the oboe. The slow,?morbido, gentile e legato section is an invitation to the player to create the most beautiful soft sounds they can; a 'still centre' before finding a 'second wind' to resume the dance with increased energy. I wanted to write a piece that largely eschewed extended techniques and celebrated a familiar oboe sound refined by thousands of players over the years. In my next oboe piece, I may well decide to do something different. S.S.

Simon Speare?was born and brought up in Cornwall. He studied composition with Simon Holt at City University, London. His music has been widely performed by professional and amateur groups in the UK and abroad and broadcast on national radio and television. He is the Head of Composition and Contemporary Music at the Royal College of Music Junior Department and teaches composition at The Purcell School. Married with two children, he also fronts the rock band Simon and the Spears.