Fantasie on a Theme for Clara

For Wind Ensemble
Duration: 10:00 minutes

2(+picc).2.3(+ebcl,bcl&cbcl).2(+cbn).ssax.asax.tsax.bsax-4.3.3+euph.1.DB-timp.4p

Dr. Harlan D. Parker, conductor of the Peabody Wind Ensemble, reached out to me about writing a piece for his spring 2023 concert. At the time (coming out of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic), it seemed possible it would be the only full wind ensemble concert of the academic year. The launching point for this work was a dialogue about music he loves. I asked about his favorite “classical” piece, which he told me was Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54. Schumann’s concerto became the catalyst for this work.

 The gestation period for Schumann’s concerto was around six years from 1839 to 1845. He contemplated writing a piano concerto as early as 1833, around the same time that his future wife, Clara Wieck (later Schumann), was composing her own piano concerto. Up to that time, Schumann largely composed works for piano alone. Clara, an accomplished pianist and composer in her own right, completed her own piano concerto in 1835 (also in the key of A minor). In 1839, she encouraged him to venture beyond piano and write larger scale works. He started a few sketches that remained incomplete until he returned to the work in 1841. Within the span of a few days in May 1841, he completed the sketches of a Phantasie in one movement for piano and orchestra. He hosted private rehearsals of the piece later that year followed by extensive revisions. Publishers largely panned the piece, which – in part – resulted in no performances. With the encouragement of Clara, he added an “Intermezzo” and a “Rondo,” which was later stylized as simply “Allegro vivace.” The concerto had its premiere in December 1845 under the baton of the works dedicatee, Ferdinand Hiller, with his Clara Schumann performing as the soloist.

 While the concerto was dedicated to Hiller, there is little doubt that the work was written for Clara and largely influenced by her. There are parts of Robert Schumann’s concerto that point back to Clara’s concerto ten years earlier. It is quite possible that without her reassurance, Robert Schumann may never have completed his piano concerto or any other larger, symphonic works. He would commonly use cyphers in his writing and may have used a cypher referring to Clara as primary theme of his Phantasie first movement. His nickname for her in his writings, Chiara (the Italian equivalent of Clara), could form the opening pitches   C-B-A-A. In German note-naming, this would be C-H(for B)-A-A, or CHiArA. His theme, likewise, forms the basis for this present work, Fantasie on a Theme for Clara. The CHAA theme, along with others from Schumann’s concerto, form the foundation for this work. The name is also a reference to Schumann Phantasie.

The work considers Schumann’s pathway to completing his concerto through the lenses of his own mental health. Schumann notably suffered a breakdown in 1845 within the months before the premiere of his piano concerto. For years he wrestled with his mental health, including a suicide attempt and eventually checking himself into an asylum, where he would spend his final two years. Schumann also went long periods without writing, followed by spurts of prolific activity. His Phantasie being written in less than two weeks is an example of this. My present work, this Fantasie, considers Schumann’s ideas coming together over time before locking completely in within the last four measures, wherein we hear a clear statement of the first four measures of his concerto, finishing this piece where Schumann began his.

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I count my time with my mentor (and a dear friend) Harlan Parker as some of the most influential in my development as a musician. He helped to fundamentally change my way of looking at the world through music, particularly with attention to small details and seeing the music that exists beyond the notation we see on the page. So, when he approached me about writing a work for him and the Peabody Wind Ensemble, it felt like a bit of a homecoming. I think any composer would enjoy seeing their alma mater perform their music, but it is a different honor being asked to write a work specifically for them. Harlan has given the better part of his life, spanning over three decades, to the growth and musical excellence of the Peabody Wind Ensemble, certainly touching thousands of lives. Every single person that I have met that has interacted with him speaks glowingly of their time and experiences with him, noting that he was one of the best parts of their Peabody experience.

To Harlan – Thank you for all you that you have done.

Commissioned by the Peabody Wind Ensemble – Harlan D. Parker, Conductor.