Bianchi: Phantasmagoria

Description

Phantasmagoria: The Dreamer, the Illusion, and the Nightmare

This piece is dedicated to the Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra – To the tireless professionals and the inspired amateurs whose artistry bring joy and beauty into our lives.

The human mind is capable of wondrous visual and audible illuminations, with many of its most powerful examples occurring while we sleep. As almost everyone can attest, there's almost nothing more memorable than a vivid dream, but sometimes even more impressive is a nightmare, jolting you awake, leaving you confused – awkwardly confused or even concerned. Somehow, our incredibly creative minds use dreamscapes too effortlessly, somehow transporting us to utopian places one could never imagine, connecting a single event or emotion to another with a complete disregard of relatability or purpose.

While producing this work, the composer aimed at creating a soundscape that would observe the unreliable laws of dreaming. Bianchi interjected relatable elements within the music that would surprise and excite the listener while following a form that depicted a type of organized chaos, sometimes which is represented within our own dreams or nightmares. The composer utilized development of motifs while familiarizing thematic material, presented a chromatically-charged palette, and introduced selective extended techniques in order to convey these notions to the listener.

Historically, the word phantasmagoria is linked to an invention designed by the Belgian inventor and entertainer Étienne-Gaspard Robertson at the end of the 18th century known as the magic lantern. Morphing into its own sensational genre of macabre and ghostly live entertainment, the magic lantern was used to create fantastical optical illusions. Frequently used to portray ghosts and apparitions, demons, and dark lore, phantasmagoria was showcased at science and art exhibitions, fairgrounds, carnivals, and theaters in many parts of Europe. in May of 1803, it made its debut at Mount Vernon Garden in New York. As its popularity grew, so did its implementation and the magic lantern found its way into cinema. Early stop trick films developed by Georges Melies capitalized on the machinery's capabilities, which led to even more sophisticated models. It's interesting to note that even Walt Disney utilized these very techniques within his works, including a fan favorite – the ride of The Haunted Mansion.

Although it would certainly be apropos to program this work in the autumn months, the title of this work is not fully attributed to the genre paved by the magic lantern, but rather a amalgamation of components drawn from the work's title, hinting at the question: is it just all a dream, an illusion, or nightmare? As you listen, try to decide!

Instrumentation: 22 2,1 2; 4231; timp 3 perc, hp; stgs Duration: 11'30"