Instrumentation
1(=picc).1.1(=bcl).1(=cbsn) - 1110 - perc(2): SD/whip/sleigh bells/cyms/2 anvil/2 c.bell/4 congas/3 gong/2 tam-t/tabla/vib/cast/ch.cym/almglocken/TD/BD/metal dustbin/2 rin/t.bells - pno(=cel) - harp - 2 vln.vla.vlc.db
Availability
Score 0-571-52095-2 on sale, parts for hire
Programme Notes
Alhambra Fantasy is scored for the sixteen players of the London Sinfonietta, who commissioned the work for this concert. It is a celebration of the art and architecture of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. I am concerned both with the splendour of the Palace itself, as well as its place in the landscape and its relevance to the complex history of this 'Moorish' region of Spain. The two large parts of the work, sharply contrasted, relate to two different facets of the Alhambra: the building of the Palace itself in the rough and energetic first part, which is dominated by sounds of hammering and banging on all manner of percussion; and the more lyrical second part, which connects song evoking the landscape of the Vega. This is not programme music, however, and I would rather leave listeners to form their own images from the turbulent contrasts evident it the music. Alhambra Fantasy is dedicated to the memory of French composer Gérard Grisey.
Julian Anderson
Reviews
'A vivid splash of sound...an immediate impression to Anderson's outstanding gifts as an instrumental colourist.'
The Daily Telegraph (George Hall), September 2002