FABRICE BOLLON (b. 1965) : In Taros Welt (‘Taro’s Wonderful World’) (2018) (version without narration). Suite No. 1 - I. Reise in das Paralleluniversum (‘Travel into a Parallel Universe’); II. Der schlafende Planet (‘The Sleeping Planet’); III. Im Tunnel der Aufwachenden (‘In the Tunnel of Awakening’); IV. Der springende Planet (‘The Jumping Planet’); V. Im Tunnel der Tratschenden (‘In the Tunnel of Voices’); VI. Der tanzende Planet (‘The Dancing Planet’); VII. Im eiskalten Tunnel (‘In the Ice Cold Tunnel’); VIII. Der Planet aus Schnee (‘The Snow Planet’); IX. Im Tunnel der Geheimnisse (‘In the Secret Tunnel’); X. Der Planet mit dem grünen Licht (‘The Planet with the Green Light’); XI. Abreise (‘Departure’); Suite No. 2 – Suns. Suite No. 3 – I. La Follia I – II. Marche au supplice – III. La Follia II – IV. Baba Yaga – V. La Follia III – VI. Die Walküre – VII. La Follia IV – VIII. La Mer – IX. La Follia : Abschied von Taro (‘Taro’s Farewell’). René Münch, Marimba / Jena Philharmonic Orchestra / Fabrice Bollon.

Description: Commissioned by the SWR Sinfonieorchester in 2017 and written by conductor and composer Fabrice Bollon, Taro’s Wonderful World was conceived as a kind of introduction to, or initiation into, classical music, both for children and for an audience that may not be especially familiar with the genre. The work uses well known themes and easily recognisable pieces from quintessential orchestral repertory, combining them together in a very playful and accessible way. Within the work, Taro takes a walk in a parallel universe consisting of sounds. He jumps from one planet to another with the help of ‘earworm holes’, and discovers sophisticated and surprising sonic constellations. Well known pieces of music by Vivaldi, Ravel, Grieg and Tchaikovsky are heard alongside familiar themes by Rossini, Bach, Berlioz and Wagner, and are sometimes even given a jazz rock feel. All are united in a unique world – the planet Trujillo. The work comprises three separate suites, as the linear structure of this format is one of the most natural and easy to follow. Each suite plays with classical music tropes in a very different fashion, increasing in complexity and requiring more engagement from the listener as the work develops – but always in a way that is enjoyable. To assist the listener in their understanding of the musical content, the beautiful story that the work is based on – conceived by author Julia Liebermann and composer Fabrice Bollon – uses numerous contemporary science fiction references. Liebermann’s distinctively modern yet stylistically naive prose follows, as much as it propels, the musical development.