On Friday, November 4, 2022, Platoon releases the new animated film for composer Mason Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra, a 25-minute concerto for orchestra and animated film described by John Williams as “the biggest step forward since Fantasia itself. A truly magnificent achievement.” The film is directed by seven-time Academy Award-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom (Titanic) and features the work of Jim Capobianco (Ratatouille, Mary Poppins Returns). It will be available to rent or purchase in 4K and surround sound on the Apple TV app and to stream on Apple Music. The film, celebrating Bates’ unique and magical style intersecting music and technology, features a soundtrack performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edwin Outwater.
Described by the San Diego Union Tribune as “a composition that might give these two war horses [Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf or Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra] a run for their money,” Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique portrays the four families of the orchestra, each with their own unique sound worlds and musical motifs: the slinky, sophisticated noir-jazz of the woodwinds; the lush romanticism of the strings; the aggressive techno-fanfares of the brass; and the percussion section “drum circle” in all its versatility. Ultimately the work’s message is one of unity: the diverse instruments of the orchestra are most powerful when working together as one giant instrument.
Guided by a magical Sprite, who serves as the audience’s guide through the orchestra and even inside the instruments themselves, the film blends traditional and modern animation styles as well as live-action filming, created over nearly a year by multi-Oscar and BAFTA-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom, of LucasFilm and Skywalker Sound, and Oscar-nominated Hollywood animator, Jim Capobianco. The Sprite interacts with the conductor and on-stage musicians alike, connecting stage and screen to create a compelling guide to the orchestra that engagingly illustrates the intricacies of how instruments work individually and collectively to produce such a huge range of sound. To look inside instruments, the team used high-definition special effects cameras, including probe lenses, to peer inside a violin, flute, and up close to brass valves. The film also features sound design built from the key clicks of woodwinds, taps on the body of string instruments, and vintage analogue synthesizers.
“Music itself has always been a marriage of technology and art,” says Gary Rydstrom. “In Philharmonia Fantastique, we use both new and old technologies to explore how music comes together, how radically different sounds and techniques converge into the full sound of an orchestra.”
The music of Philharmonia Fantastique ventures beyond the bounds of classical to bring in elements of jazz and techno and was co-commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and American Youth Symphony. The soundtrack was released on Sony Classical on April 22, 2022, recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edwin Outwater at Orchestra Hall, Symphony Center in Chicago from February 9-13, 2021.
Following premieres this year with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and San Diego Symphony, the fall and spring feature live North American performances of Philharmonia Fantastique with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic (Oct. 16), The Louisville Orchestra (Nov. 12), Nashville Symphony (Jan. 21 ‘23), Kansas City Symphony (Jan. 29), New West Symphony (Mar. 4-5), The Cleveland Orchestra (Apr. 2), Utah Symphony (Apr. 11), and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Apr. 30). The European premiere will take place at London’s Southbank Centre on April 16, 2023 with the Aurora Orchestra, and the work will then tour internationally.
“Creating a new ‘guide to the orchestra’ was an incredibly inspiring and challenging project,” says Mason Bates. “How can we showcase the magical wonders of the orchestra in a fresh way? For me, the way was the concept of ‘how they work:’ how brass valves slice air, how strings resonate when creating harmonics, how woodwinds make music with clicking keys. When an orchestra plays, the integration of so much engineering into one giant instrument is a real model of ‘unity from diversity.’ All these different materials and technologies – and people – syncing together to make beautiful music is a real model for how we should all behave as people.”
Film Credits:
Music by Mason Bates
Directed by Gary Rydstrom
Written by Mason Bates & Gary Rydstrom
Animation direction by Jim Capobianco
Produced by Alex D. da Silva & Mason Bates
Executive producers Jody Allen, Rocky Collins, Ruth Johnston & Mary Pat Buerkle
Performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Edwin Outwater
Commissioning orchestras: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and the American Youth Symphony
