Mason Bates' New Concerto & Animated Film to Premiere in May

The 25-minute concerto for orchestra and animated film, entitled Philharmonia Fantastique, is a collaboration between composer and DJ Mason Bates, Oscar-winning director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and animator Jim Capobianco.

The film will be premiered at a Family Matinee concert at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) on May 14, 2022.

The work was conceived as a modern-day version of Benjamin Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, which introduces its young audience to the capabilities of each orchestral instrument in turn.

The film's protagonist is an endearing, magical Sprite who flies around the orchestra and dives inside instruments, discovering how they are made and how they create sound.

"Creating a new 'guide to the orchestra' was an incredibly inspiring and challenging project," said Mason Bates. "How can we showcase the magical wonders of the orchestra in a fresh way?"

"For me, the way was the concept of 'how they work:' how brass valves slice air, how strings resonate when creating harmonics, how woodwinds make music with clicking keys," he continued.

"The project will have a certain immediacy since each performance of the music will be a one-of-a-kind experience," said animator and screenwriter Jim Capobianco. "Working in animation we never get that kind of event; everything is so planned."

"Philharmonia Fantastique ultimately feels timeless: nostalgic but also completely fresh and new," Capobianco added.

Philharmonia Fantastique will also be released in theaters and on a major streaming platform in 2022.

You can read more about the project here, and watch a short video about the recording process below.