Henri Tomasi (1901 – 1971)
Recordings
- 1970 – Présentation des Cuivres (Orchestre Radio-Symphonique de Strasbourg)
- 1979 – Festive Brass (Philip Jones Brass Ensemble)
- 1979 – Grandes Œuvres Françaises du 20e Siècle (Ensemble de Cuivres Guy Touvron)
- 1992 – Fanfares pour cuivres (Les Cuivres Français)
- 1993 – Millar Brass Ensemble
- 1994 – Paving the Way (Summit Brass)
- 1996 – Grandes Fanfares du XXe Siecle (Grand Ensemble de Cuivres et Percussion des Hauts de France
- 1996 – Henri Tomasi (Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille)
- 1998 – The Power of Brass (Flexible Brass)
- 1998 – Marseille Philharmonic Orchestra
- 2000 – Liturgical Fanfares (Avatar Brass Ensemble)
- 2001 – Luxembourg Radio Orchestra
- 2007 – Tomasi (Lille National Orchestra)
- 2008 – Crown Imperial (Dallas Wind Symphony)
- 2012 – Eric Aubier plays Henri Tomasi (Ensemble de Cuivres et Choeur de Rouen)
- 2012 – La Voie Triophale (Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces)
- 2013 – Bartok to Berg (Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia)
- 2014 – Brass Too (Brass of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
- 2016 – Fanfares pour Cuivres (Les Cuivres Français)
- 2018 – Luxembourg Radio Orchestra
General Info
Year composed: 1947
Approximate duration: 19′ 30″
Publisher: Alphonse Leduc Éditions Musicales
Cost: Score and Parts (print) – $87.85
Difficulty:
Movements
- Annonciation – 2:20
- Evangile – 3:40
- Apocalypse – 3:30
- Procession du Vendredi-Saint – 9:00
Instrumentation
3 Trumpets in C
4 Horns in F
3 Tenor Trombones
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Timpani
4 Percussion (cymbals, field drum, snare drum, suspended cymbal, tam-tam)
Program Notes
Tomasi wrote these fanfares (originally Fanfares concertantes) as part of his opera Don Juan de Mañara; they were premiered in concert in 1947 in Monte Carlo, where Tomasi had just become conductor of the opera, and published in 1952, although the opera was not premiered until 1956 (in Munich).
The first fanfare blazes to immediate life, but a somber lyric section follows, with a brief recall of the brilliant opening at the end. The second is statelier, with prominent timpani; a dramatic solo trombone recitative takes over, leading to a solemn close. The horsemen of the apocalypse gallop with a menacing edge, at a confident, aggressive pace.
The suitably theatrical final fanfare, as long as the other three combined, comes from a scene in the opera that takes place in Seville during a Holy Week procession, when a heavenly voice sings to Miguel Mañara, lifting his spirits (he was depressed by the death of his wife). It begins in percussive mystery, and gradually grows in dynamics and intensity under the impassioned pleading of the Spirit of Heaven, as the procession approaches. It fades into calm for an ardent chorale, over which the voice soars again, concluding in a spiritual ecstasy that reminds us of Tomasi’s abiding interest in medieval religious music.