It was just before the pandemic when I was in London working for a film score, and my publisher suggested I meet the NYOGB and check them out for the possibility of doing a commission. I was skeptical simply because of the fact that they were a youth orchestra, but I decided to investigate further. I was able to attend a show at the Barbican Hall and I was, to say the least, blown away by how good they were. I think I decided almost on the spot that I would indeed find a way to write a piece for them. I actually began composing it in late 2019 for what would have been their summer concerts in 2020. Of course, as we all know those concerts were all cancelled and I found myself in quarantine switching gears to create a solo album instead.

As with everything in the world at that time, there was no way of knowing when we’d ever get back to normal and even if the NYOGB would survive the ever-extending downtime.

Well happily they did! And I jumped back into the composition that I’m now calling Wunderkammer. As I began writing again I remembered my original intentions. To create something that was very challenging, as I knew they were up for that, and something that would also be fun and exciting for them to dig into. I also knew I wanted to feature different instrument sections throughout in an attempt to give everyone a moment to shine.

A Wunderkammer is a cabinet of curiosities or even a room of mystery and oddities. A wunderkammer can be fun, or scary, intriguing or instructive, but never normal or boring! And that’s just what I was hoping to bring to the NYOGB

I hope you enjoy Wunderkammer!

© 2022 Danny Elfman