Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra is a 25-minute concerto for orchestra & animated film that flies through the instruments of the orchestra to explore the age-old connection of creativity and technology. Philharmonia Fantastique is a collaboration between composer and DJ Mason Bates, Oscar-winning director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and animation director Jim Capobianco.
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 overcomes its differences to demonstrate “unity from diversity” in a spectacular finale.
Premiered in the 2021-2022 season, the work was commissioned by Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and the American Youth Symphony. The work received support from the Sakana Foundation, John & Marcia Goldman Foundation and Paul J. Sekhri & The Sekhri Family Foundation.
Specialist education consultants, The Edie Demas Group, have developed a Youth Resource Guide with a compelling range of educational content identifying the work’s major themes, core objectives, curriculum connections, and support materials spanning print and digital mediums.
The film is now available on Apple Music and Apple TV and the Grammy nominated soundtrack is available on SONY Classical. The film-in-concert package can be rented through Justin Ellis (North America) or Intermusica (rest of world).
For more information visit www.spritesworld.org
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 during a time of renewed interest in bringing classical music to audiences digitally.
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 animation director Jim Capobianco about creating a vibrant and wordless exploration of the orchestra. The creative meetings took place at Skywalker Ranch in Marin, California.
Performance & Technical
Philharmonia Fantastique is a 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
- family concerts
- education concerts
Orchestration
-
3 Flutes (2. & 3. doubling Piccolo, 2. doubling Alto)
-
2 Oboes (2. doubling English Horn)
-
3 Clarinet (2. doubling Eb Clarinet)
-
2 Bassoon & 1 Contrabassoon
-
4 Horns in F
-
3 Trumpets in C
-
2 Tenor Trombones & 1 Bass Trombone
-
1 Tuba
-
3/4 Percussion *
Timpani -
Laptop ** maybe add a note?
-
Harp
-
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.
Videos
Trailer
Behind the Scenes: Making the Sprite
Behind the Scenes: Inside the Cello
Behind the Scenes: Inside the Woodwinds
The Artists
Mason Bates (Composer/Writer) was the first composer-in-residence at 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 was hailed as one of the best-selling productions in the history of Santa Fe Opera and was awarded a 2019 Grammy.
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 recently completed supervising the animation sequences for Disney’s new live-action feature film Mary Poppins.
Contact
General & Press Inquiries
Opus 3 Artists
Mary Pat Buerkle:
MBuerkle@opus3artists.com
Film-in-Concert Inquiries
Opus 3 Artists
Constance Chiu:
Cchiu@opus3artists.com
© 2023 Mason Bates. All rights reserved.