The Sonata for Oboe and Piano, composed by Mr. Gannon at an early age, is one which holds many fond memories of his formative years as a composer. It was completed about 1980 and is dedicated to Earnie Harrison, who was at one time principal oboist for the National Symphony Orchestra.
The work is laid out in three movements; the sonata form being roughly divided in half to create the outer movements. The middle movement, a scherzo, is in a typical ABA form and is a ne example of Mr. Gannons mastery over form. The work has an overall French avor reminiscent of Poulenc and foreshadows a sense of tonality that Mr. Gannon more fully exploited in many of his later works (such as Triad-O-Rama for wind octet and Cellophane for orchestra).This new 2024 edition, part of the Missing Voices of AIDS series, includes an essay on Lee Gannon’s background from professor M. Gregory Martin.