"Five Fantasies on Bach Chorales has been in the works for some time, having benefited from some work-shopping (in bits and pieces) in 2009 and 2011—well before its completion in 2014. While each of the five movements thus stands on its own in a way, there's a significant amount of overlap between them—mostly textural and textual rather than thematic. In this work, I employ a type of text setting wherein semiotic links are established and maintained well beyond a passing "word painting" acquaintance; the most far-reaching is the nautical metaphor of the third movement ("let loose my ship's rudder") being resurrected at the conclusion of the closing movement, with the choir wordlessly imitating ocean sounds. Other long-range references occur both within and between movements. I love it when particularly perceptive listeners (and performers!) notice these connections and start discussions about them; it's a wonderful way to engage with my fellow musical people.
Since I knew from experience what the UMD Chamber Singers are capable of before I finished two of these movements, there are some fairly virtuosic passages requiring great sensitivity to rhythm, diction, and especially intonation. When the announcement was made that the Five Fantasies were selected as the winners of the Walsum Competition at UMD, the most exciting dimension of it for me was knowing that the music would be rehearsed and performed by a choir that has demonstrated great facility with both the composer I'm borrowing from and the musical language which I myself bring. Having performed with this fine ensemble a great many Bach cantatas and a number of challenging twentieth-century works (foremost among them those by Benjamin Britten and Francis Poulenc), I am thrilled to hear what they bring to a work that seeks to draw equally upon the old and the new."
The UMD Chamber Singers will be premiering Five Fantasies on Bach Chorales on April 17.
