Tomasi - Fanfares Liturgiques

Today we listened to recording of Fanfares Liturgique, by Henri Tomasi. As you heard, it is a very powerful, challenging, and well-crafted composition. The names of the movements are translated below, and as we discussed, the genre seems to be an "instrumental oratorio" - that is, a sacred brass choir version of a liturgical work. The orator could be represented by the trombone solo of the second movement. Note also the return of the triumphant first theme, possibly a motif for the Christ figure, returns in the final movement. I also was reminded in several passages of the works Stravinsky, Respighi, Bach, and Dukas. (See earlier post Tomasi and his Contemporaries)

This work was originally called Fanfares Concertantes and was part of his opera Don Juan de Mañera. This is the version which includes soprano soloists and choir. Here is a YouTube link to this scene from the opera.

• I. Annonciation (Annunciation is the term describing the moment when the angel Gabriel declared Mary to be the mother of God)
• II. Evangile (Gospel, or the word of God)
• III. Apocalypse (Apocolypse, or revelation?) Four Horsemen who are listed as Pestilence (disease epidemic), War, Famine, Death
• IV. Procession du Vendredi-Saint (Good Friday Procession, a Christian celebration commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus)

* Note: Location of image above is from Amazon.com
 Amazon incorrectly describes this product as a "Plaid double knit novelty suiting jacket"?!

Henri Tomasi: Don Juan de Manara
Price: $22.63 + $3.99 shipping

• Dry Clean Only
• Plaid double knit novelty suiting jacket
• Fall 2013