Fantasia

Instrumentation: Trombone, Harp, and Cello

Duration: 7'00"

Program Note:

I was inspired to write Fantasia because of its unusual instrumentation: harp, cello, and trombone. I was drawn to this trio for its contrasting sounds and unique sonic possibilities, exploring how each instrument could achieve common ground in timbre and playing technique.

The piece unfolds in a free, fantasia-like structure, with a main theme introduced by the harp at the beginning and subtly echoed throughout. Sections develop through variations in texture, tone, and performance technique, including shared use of tremolo, glissandi, and pitch-bending effects that create moments of playfulness and humour.

Fantasia is ultimately a piece about transformation and variation - how texture, tone colour, and thematic material migrate across contrasting instruments, revealing their shared qualities.

Listen:

Premiere: 30/04/2025 by Jack Miles (tbn.), Sonia Sung (hrp.), and Frederick Carter (vcl.), at Royal Academy of Music, Angela Burgess Recital Hall, London, UK.

Fantasia

I was inspired to write Fantasia because of its unusual instrumentation: harp, cello, and trombone. I was drawn to this trio for its contrasting sounds and unique sonic possibilities, exploring how each instrument could achieve common ground in timbre and playing technique.

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Fantasia is ultimately a piece about transformation and variation - how texture, tone colour, and thematic material migrate across contrasting instruments, revealing their shared qualities.

​

Listen: ​​

Listen: