Double Rubber Stamp

(2025) 10' / for two oboes and fixed media

to be premiered on November 11th, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland by Vicente Moronta and Peter Veale

Composer's Note

Double Rubber Stamp (2025) for two oboes is a partial translation and partial reworking of my Cosmic Rubber Band. This time, the focus is on the virtuosic interaction between two soloists. The original version for solo oboe and electronics, composed in 2024 for Vicente Moronta, pushed the oboe’s speed to its limits and forced the soloist into a relentless, mechanical time grid. In the new version, chamber-musical sensitivity replaces strictness, and mechanical rigidity is overwritten with flexibility. The formal structure remains intact but is stretched by about 20% to give the players more space for their interplay. Instead of a fireworks display of soloistic bravura, Double Rubber Stamp places human dynamics centre stage — as shared breathing, listening, and reacting. – Mike Svoboda