This piece was written during the pandemic of 2020/21. A time when solo pieces suddenly
became much more popular as public health restrictions prevented musicians from playing
together.
As a way of coping with the situation, I decide to learn, in some cases, re-learn, all of
Telemann’s 12 Fantasias for Solo Flute. The question was which would come first, my getting
through all 12, or getting the vaccine. (as I write this, it’s running neck and neck). Telemann’s
Fanatasias have three or four short movements, each with its own character, sometimes
gorgeous, sometimes brilliant, sometimes energetic. It seems as if he was free from some of the
formulas and rules of the time and could approach each section, and each Fantasy in a unique
way. As I played them, I thought to myself that ‘we don’t write Fantasies anymore’. So, I
decided that I would.
This Fantasy, for english horn, is the second, the first being for alto flute. The format of both
pieces is similar to Telemann’s, four sections, slow, fast, slow, fast (though Telemann often
varied that pattern). The two slow sections make use of the haunting beauty of the english horn’s
sound. Played freely there is an element of longing and dreaminess to them.
The second section is rhythmic, with empty spaces and syncopation that pulls the listener along,
while the last section has a mischievous character. There is a contrast between strong musical
declarations, and short statements, leaving the listener slightly unsure of where things are going.
At the end, it seems to have arrived, or has it?
