- a flight fantasy after Jean Paul for orchestra (2012)
Commissioned by Mainfranken Theater Würzburg
Orchestra:
3(3rd also Picc.) 3(3rd=Eh.) 3(3rd=Bcl.) 3(3rd=Cbs.) - 4 3 3 1 - Timp. Perc.(2) Hrf. Cel. Str.
1. Frog and Toad Knights
2. The Sea and the Sun
3. Ascent and Crash
Duration: 20 mins
Premiere January 17th/18th, 2013, concert hall of Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: Enrico Calesso
About the work:
Giannozzo, the hero of a short story by Jean Paul, finds life on earth becoming too much for him. He therefore builds an airship, ascends into the sky, and henceforth observes the earthly doings of his fellow human beings only as an amused—and horrified—spectator.
Giannozzo’s adventures inspired me to compose a symphonic 'flight fantasy,' in which I also reflect, among other things, on the possibility of humor in music.
The first movement ('Frog and Toad Knights') deals with the absurd and grotesque goings-on on earth. In the second movement ('The Sea and the Sun'), Giannozzo witnesses a sunrise over the ocean. In the final movement ('Ascent and Crash'), Giannozzo observes a brutal battle and is caught in a storm. He eventually manages to rise above the clouds, but his airship is then struck by lightning and crashes, resulting in his death.
Anno Schreier, 2012