The Piece
What: Philharmonia Fantastique is a 30-minute animated film that flies through the instruments of the orchestra to explore the age-old connection of creativity and technology. The work can be experienced in concert with live orchestra beginning in March 2022, and in movie theaters or streaming platforms in late 2022. Produced by Vulcan Productions, Philharmonia Fantastique is a collaboration between composer and DJ Mason Bates, director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and animator Jim Capobianco.
Story: Guided by a magical Sprite, we see violin strings vibrate, brass valves slice air, and drum heads resonate. Imaginatively blending traditional and modern animation styles, it is a kinetic and cutting edge guide to the orchestra. By the film’s end, the orchestra must overcomes its tribal differences to demonstrate “unity from diversity” in a spectacular finale.
When: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra premieres Philharmonia Fantastique in March 2022, followed by the San Francisco Symphony in April 2022. The premiering consortium continues with the Dallas, Pittsburgh, and National Symphonies in the 2021-22 seasons, after which the piece is available for rental as a “film in concert” package. The film will simultaneously by released in theaters and on television.
The Process
Why now: Orchestras have undergone an astonishing evolution in the past few decades that make this innovative work possible. This historic medium has started to integrate electronic sounds in the past two decades, and high-definition video has become increasingly common with the success of “films in concert.” All these elements come together in this multimedia symphony that explores the orchestra unlike anything before.
Innovative elements: The work features a unique hybrid of animation and live action filming. Guided by Jim Capobianco, the animation team created a hand-drawn, 2D style reminiscent of 1950’s French films. 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.
How it came together: Inspired to create something new for the emerging medium of “films live in concert,” composer Mason Bates and director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom approached animator Jim Capobianco about creating a vibrant and wordless exploration of the orchestra. Five leading orchestras then agreed to commission the work: the Chicago, San Francisco, National, Dallas, and Pittsburgh Symphonies, along with the John & Marcia Goldman Foundation. Vulcan Productions subsequently agreed to produce the film for theatrical and streaming release. The primary creative meetings occurred at Skywalker Ranch in Marin, California.
Performance & Technical
Philharmonia Fantastique is dynamic “concerto for orchestra & animated film” that can integrate into a variety of symphonic programs, resonating with music about art (Pictures at an Exhibition), wonder (Petrushka), and the orchestra itself (Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra). Orchestras in the commissioning consortium are presenting the work in all of the following formats:
- “concerto slot” of a subscription program
- prelude to a “film in concert” show featuring films no longer than 100 minutes
- family concerts
- education concerts
Orchestration
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3 Flutes (2. & 3. doubling Piccolo, 2. doubling Alto)
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2 Oboes (2. doubling English Horn)
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3 Clarinet (2. doubling Eb Clarinet)
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2 Bassoon & 1 Contrabassoon
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4 Horns in F
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3 Trumpets in C
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2 Tenor Trombones & 1 Bass Trombone
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1 Tuba
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3/4 Percussion *
Timpani -
Laptop ** maybe add a note?
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Harp
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Piano (doubling on Celesta)
- Strings (minimum 12/10/8/8/6)
* Can be performed with 3 Percussion players, but 4 is preferable.
** Laptop needed only when performed without video. (
Percussion: glockenspiel, crotales, woodblocks, castanets, djembe, bass drum, tam-tam, finger cymbals, marimba, snare drum, suspended cymbal, vibraphone, triangle, hi-hat, field drum, crash cymbals, tom-toms, tambourine, floor tom, police whistle, large broom, rute (flexible switches on wood,) and congas.
Technical Setup
TECHNICAL SETUP is the same as for “films in concert” packages:
- projection screen
- projector with a minimum of [ ]
- 2 high-quality speakers with 15” woofers; 1-2 subwoofers
- click tracks for select orchestra members and streamers for conductor
The Artists
Mason Bates (Composer/Writer) serves as the first composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Championed by legendary conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Leonard Slatkin, his symphonic music is the first to receive widespread acceptance for its unique integration of electronic sounds, and he was recently named the second most-performed living composer. His opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which premiered in 2017 in Santa Fe with future productions in Seattle & San Francisco, was hailed as one of the most popular and best-selling productions in the history of SFe Opera.
Gary Rydstrom (Director/Writer) has been nominated for eighteen Academy Awards, winning seven for his work in film sound, including Jurassic Park, Titanic, and Saving Private Ryan. As an animation director, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his Pixar short film Lifted, and in 2015 directed Strange Magic, a Lucasfilm/Disney musical that features innovative integration of music and animation. He has contributed sound design for the Mason Bates orchestral pieces Alternative Energy and Mass Transmission.
Jim Capobianco (Story/Animation) has worked as a story artist on many major animated films, including Lion King, Fantasia 2000, Finding Nemo, and Inside Out. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Ratatouille. His love of traditional animation is evident in the imaginative end credits he created for Wall-E, in his Pixar short Your Friend the Rat, and in Leonardo, a hand-drawn animation that has been screened at numerous international film festivals. He has just completed supervising the animation sequences for Disney’s new live-action feature film Mary Poppins.