Stephenson, J :: Fantasie

Jim Stephenson presents 'Fantasie' for flute and piano. 

The composer writes, "The 'Fantasie' was originally composed for violin/piano as a result of a commission from the Florida State Music Teachers' Association for premiere at their state conference in November of 2005. The instrumentation of the commission itself was unspecified, leaving me a wide array of choices for which to compose.

"For me, the title 'Fantasie' implied that any idea that came into my head was fair game. I wanted the piece to truly sound as if I followed every whim that entered my brain. I did not, however, forego the rules of composition (whatever those may be!) but instead made sure that the 'whims' all followed a certain logical order. My desire is that the audience be delighted by every new turn in the music, while the composition student discovers the reasons inherent therein.

"Much of the content of the music is both derived from the opening theme, and also an encounter I had with Glenn in which he divulged his new-found joy of the octatonic scale. The entire piece mixes and matches these two ideas, as it winds its way through different moods and flights of fancy, and culminates in a technically virtuosic and fantastic finish.

"The flute incarnation of the piece was created for Suzanne Kirton, also of the Naples Philharmonic, and was premiered with Richard Bosworth at the piano on April 6, 2010, at the new Beverly Hall concert venue of the Naples United Church of Christ."