Opus 31
Fantasia quasi una Toccata (1965, rev. 1982)
for Brass Octet and Four Percussionists
0.4.4.0
Duration: 5 min.
Premiere: 1974; Colorado PO Members; C. Topilow
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Percussion: Timpani, Glockenspiel, Chimes, Bass Drum, Two Snare Drums, Crash Cymbals, Two Gongs, Three Cymbals
As with many of Rosner’s early works, Fantasia quasi una Toccata relies heavily on harmonic effects obtained from combinations of major/minor chords and idiosyncratic modal scales. After an imitative “pesante” opening, the body of the work is a driving “Allegro,” beginning with an extended canon at the unison for the four trumpets. After a pounding triadic climax, a raucous cadenza for the percussion alone leads to a return of the brass and a final, hammered conclusion. (Notes by Carson Cooman)