Fantaisie auf Nachtmusik

Fantasie auf Nachtmusik (2019) by Joe Chindamo was commissioned and premiered by the Perth Symphony Orchestra, led by Paul Wright in October 2019. It is a polystylistic work since it combines music from different
eras - including elements from high baroque, which of course, precede Mozart’s time. Fantasie Auf Nachtmusik pays tribute to Mozart by way of his Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, not in the sense of quotation, but one of hommage. In composing this work, I thought of Mozart as the Stravinsky of his time, a maverick, the enfant terrible of music, and a man who wrote infamous letters of scatological humor. Through the use of different musical languages, we hear the juxtaposing of two contrasting narratives which respectively depict Mozart as a child of his time, who performed his miracles within the confines of the stylistic norms of his day, and the
other, the temperamental and often dysfunctional human who didn’t suffer fools gladly and often fell into a dark abyss.

The work was subsequently recorded by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Johannes Fritsch in 2020. This performance was given by the students at the Australian National Academy of Music as part of a residency by violinist Zoé Black, who leads the ensemble here, and myself. This performance took place on October 7 2022 at Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne, Australia.
Joe Chindamo Nov 2022