Five musicians get together one evening to have fun together. The pianist mentions a tune on the piano that someone recognizes, and soon everyone joins in to play together, each contributing their own part. Meanwhile, under the influence of alcohol the music evolves into a ramshackle ragtime, but soon they return to the search for that initial tunethat will only finally be ” exhibited ” at the end of the evening.

This scenario briefly describes the overall form of this Fantasia notturna: a tripartite model (ABA) in the form of a “reverse sonata”, with the development placed at the beginning and the exposition at the end: thus resulting in a structure in which the theme is sought from the beginning (through fragments and distorted utterances) but exhibited fully only at the end of the piece.

Originally written for flute, clarinet, bass clarinet and piano, I decided to rearrange it for a more standard ensemble.