Description

Fantasia on a Theme of Couperin
for flute, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two horns, and two bassoons
by Joseph Horovitz (b.1926) – British composer and conductor

The origin of this work was a commission by the London Wind Society in 1958 to compose a wind octet consisting of flute, oboe, and pairs of clarinets, horns, and bassoons. In 1962, the work was revised substantially to produce a new version for eleven solo strings. This latest reworking adds English horn to the original octet, and includes several metric and harmonic alterations of both previous versions. The theme is taken from the chromatic rising bass of Couperin’s famous keyboard classic, “Passacaille” in b minor. It is quoted in the middle section of the Fantasia in its original harmonization. The composer’s own opening theme undergoes a gradual change towards this central point, then Couperin’s theme is developed and eventually brought back to a recapitulation of the opening statement.

Duration: 13:00
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