Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra is the new album from Mason Bates out today on SONY Classical. Recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Edwin Outwater, Philharmonia Fantastique is Mason’s most ambitious project to date designed to connect music, musicians, and audiences, and to explore the fundamental connections between music, sound, performance, creativity and technology.
“I wanted the four families of the orchestra to be highly differentiated so that we could create dramatic tension in the second part of the piece, where the families can’t quite unify,” explains Bates. “The way they finally come together is to learn to play each other’s themes. That element of coming together and transcending their differences became a key inspiration for us as the piece unfolded.”
Listen to the full album on all major streaming platforms.
Live performances are taking place with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra next month.
Upcoming Performances include:
May 12-15 2022 – National Symphony Orchestra – Kennedy Center, Washington DC
May 12-14 2022 – Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Symphony Center, Chicago, IL
August 4-5 2022 – San Francisco Symphony – Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA
August 5 2022 – San Diego Symphony – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, San Diego, CA
January 21 2023 – Nashville Symphony – Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN
January 29 2023 – Kansas City Symphony – Kauffman Center, Kansas City, MO
April 11 2023 – Utah Symphony – Noorda Center for the Performing Arts,Orem, UT