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The Boston Symphony Orchestra, led by Alan Gilbert, Premieres Bernard Rands's Symphonic Fantasy

Apr. 20, 2022

The Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Alan Gilbert, gave the world premiere of Bernard Rands's Symphonic Fantasy at Symphony Hall on April 14 with additional performances on April 15-16. The composer notes:

"The idea for a one-movement work stems from my personal affection for the Sibelius 7th Symphony. Using an orchestra smaller than I normally prefer, it more resembles a 'Classical' instrumental ensemble and in keeping with that choice, I opted to explore the iconic classical sonata form.

Each of the three main sections, which are clearly articulated, is a 'mini' sonata form design, thus allowing for an extended range of compositional opportunities – for example non-linear juxtapositions, unpredictable appearances and developments of musical 'objects'."


The work has already received extensive critical acclaim. Aaron Keebaugh of the Boston Classical Review noted:

"Drawn to its logic and flow, Rands found an original blend of style and substance in his Symphonic Fantasy in One Movement." He continued, "The score recalls Debussy as much as Sibelius, albeit with a dissonant twist. Yet Rands never settles in the moment. Instead, the music builds a seismic friction through constantly shifting textures.

A sense of organic unity is evident from the onset. Dark sliding figures in the basses—reminiscent of the opening of Sibelius’s Seventh— are met by murmuring winds and brass that encompass the full ensemble. Moments of lyricism interrupt the churning intensity. Cellos, violins, and French horns take turns in sweeping melodies that suddenly halt on ear-shattering chords. Agitated string figures intervene and drive the work to an abrupt but satisfying conclusion.

Gilbert drew a vivid musical canvas, drawing out each phrase with a clear vision of what was coming next. The Symphonic Fantasy stands as one of Rands’ most arresting recent achievements, and the audience rewarded its composer with a rousing ovation."

David Patterson of the Boston Music Intelligencer stated:


"Rands’s Symphonic Fantasy in One Movement...presented listeners refinements of orchestral play from rich sonorities to fanciful flourishes. Spaced among these appeared a solo horn, unison strings, and an array of instruments in unmistakable melodic voice, singing as it were. His harmonic palette obliquely referenced that of Debussy. That dream-inducing series of notes (whole-tone scale) on the Frenchman’s slab of colors found its way in the Fantasy. Was this why La Mer followed rather than Beethoven? Rands never having formally studied orchestration might explain the individual brilliances in his instrumental thinking. Fantasy warmed the hall."  

Symphonic Fantasy was co-commissioned by BBC R3 for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in celebration of the composer’s eighty-fifth birthday in 2019. Scheduled performances of the work were postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bernard Rands will celebrate his 90th birthday on March 2, 2024. For more information and ideas about programming the music of Bernard Rands, click here.

Listen to Bernard Rands's Concerto for Piano: I. Fantasia. Noble (2014):


(Concerto for Piano: I. Fantasia. Noble/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Jonathan Biss, piano/Markus Stenz, conductor)


To learn more about Bernard Rands, visit: schott-music.com.

Bernard Rands
Symphonic Fantasy (2019)
in one movement 
for orchestra
2.2.2.2-4.3.2.btbn.0-timp-perc-hp-str
20'

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