2023 Commissioned by The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra with the generous support of Walt and Irene DeBoni.
Premiere performance: 18 March 2023, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Calgary Youth Orchestra, conducted by Rune Bergmann and Karl Hirzer, Jack Singer Hall, Calgary (AB), Canada.
DURATION
5 minutes
INSTRUMENTATION
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
2 Trumpets
4 Horns
2 Trombones
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Organ
Timpani
Percussion
Spatialized Brass Ensemble (in balconies):
Trumpets in Bb (group “A”)*
Trumpets in Bb (group “B”)*
Horns in F (group “A”)*
Horns in F (group “B”)*
Trombones*
Tuba (minimum 1 player)
*If performing in a small space, minimum one player to a part. If performing in a large space, minimum two players to a part.
It is recommended to have two conductors – one conducting the ensemble on stage, another (facing the audience) to cue the Spatialized Brass Ensemble.
Celestial Horses: Fanfare and Fugue
(brass, organ, percussion, and spatialized brass ensemble)
When conductor Rune Bergmann asked me to write a work that featured the orchestral brass and percussion section paired with an organist and youth brass players, I was at a loss on to how to approach this. That was when I decided to reach out to my friend Walt DeBoni, a terrific photographer, to ask if he had any photos that could inspire me. He replied with a photo of galloping Hungarian horses he took many years ago, and that was when I was struck with an idea: keep the professional-level players together on stage playing the Fanfare and Fugue, and have the youth players spatialized around the concert hall (placed in various areas of the balconies and loges) playing materials that evoked the sounds of galloping horses. This would create an antiphonal experience that would have music coming from the stage as well as galloping musical materials coming from all other directions. This concept was very exciting to me since spatialized elements have grown to become an integral of my musical creations.
Photo Credit: “Hurrying Hungarian Horses” – Walt DeBoni