A large orchestral piece, inspired by the classic film music of science fiction cinema, perfect for cross-over, pops programs. A symphonic love letter to science fiction!

Anyone familiar with the 1980s sci-fi cinema boosted by the success of Steven Spielberg should note the obvious reference in the title of this piece. The 1987 sci-fi adventure, directed by Joe Dante and produced by Spielberg, was one of my favourite movies as a teenager.

When the enthusiastic Gothia Concentus commissioned me to write Innerspace, the task was to write a stand-alone concert work that would serve as companion piece to an impressive set list of well-known genre works primarily from the world of film, but also video games. Since all of the other pieces were written for sci-fi adventures taking place in outer space, I wanted to go in the other direction - inwards.

My piece and its storyline is inspired by that of Joe Dante?s movie, and of course, even more so by the ingenious 1960s sci-fi gem Fantastic Voyage. I would not say, though, that the music itself is particularly inspired by the scores written for these films (by Jerry Goldsmith and Leonard Rosenman) - it?s more of a love letter to all of the great sci-fi music written in the past century.

Innerspace is in large doses based on an octatonic scale which I developed based on a chord progression that has been in my head since I was a teenager, just waiting for the righ opportunity to ?come out?. The piece makes a condensed journey from the stark and alarming opening, through atmospheric passages which are almost bitonal in character, via stirring action and heroic scherzo motifs to a triumphant finale.

It is my intention that this piece should be entertaining, fun and exciting for the post-modern symphony audience, as well as a lot of fun for the players and conductor who share my love for the great sci-fi movies!

Duration: ca 7:30

Instrumentation: 3(1.2.pic)3(1.2.eh)3(1.2.bcl)3(1.2.cbn) - 6652(1opt) - timp.3perc - hp.pno - str.

Mikael Carlsson
January 2019

ISBN 978-3-7378-0607-7.

The cover sheet of the autograph says: José Rolon, Sinfonía en mi menor (op. 18) para grande Orquesta, Guadalajara, Mayo de 1923. Tis date marks the end of the writing of the whole symphony, but the 2nd movement Andante malinconico, was premiered already on May 26, 1923 at the Teatro Esperanza Iris in México City, where it won the 2nd prize of the composers competition, advertised by the Consejo Cultural y Artístico in Mexico City. The 3rd movement Scherzo contains four mexican popular themes, the predominant Los enanos, and in the Trio, El payo, Señor Don Simon and El Aguilote. Rolon published this movenemt later seperately in a larger form as El festín de los enanos (The dwarft's party) and premiered it on March 18, 1927 with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Guadalajara â?? what he had founded in 1916. The Festín de los enanos got the 1. Prize in the composers competition of the Primer Congreso Nacional de Musica in 1927. The whole symphony was premiered by the composer and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Guadalajara at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara, on March 16, 1924.