Erin James - Fantasy Vignittes (2025) [Official Digital Download]

ON PAPER, THE DISCIPLINES of classical music and fashion design might not seem to have much in common. These two worlds merge seamlessly, however, in Fantasy Vignettes, a performance conceived by violinist Erin James.

Thematically, the program is rooted in fantasies (also known as fantasias), those musical flights of imagination and improvisation that don’t fit squarely into any particular compositional style. James has selected such works spanning 400 years, from the Baroque period to the present day, including pieces by Robert Schumann, Florence Price, and Arnold Schoenberg.

So it’s not exactly a pop concert, but there will be costume changes. Over the course of Fantasy Vignettes, James wears four different outfits that she has designed and constructed herself.

“For a long time they were very separate,” the Calgary-born, Vancouver-raised James says when Stir sits down for an interview with her at a Strathcona café on a typically drizzly May afternoon. “Violin was my career, and sewing and design was something I did on the side. There’s a couple of things at play. I think a big thing for me is the accessibility piece. I’m really interested in bringing a visual element to a performance, so this program has been fun for me because each of the outfits reflects—and, I hope, dialogues with—the music that I’ve programmed. So, even the early fantasies, where they would have been improvised in small segments, I’ve sort of mirrored that with my costume. It’s not a Baroque, historical costume. It’s not authentic whatsoever, but it does have reference points.”

In a follow-up email, James further explains that she used Schumann’s characters Florestan and Eusebius as a jumping-off point to explore societal notions of what constitutes “masculine” and “feminine” presentation: “I portray this split personality wearing an outfit that is half tailcoat and trousers similar to what Robert would have worn, and half gown such as his wife and accomplished pianist and composer, Clara Schumann, might have donned.”

TRACKLIST

1. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Nau: Fantasia Steffan Nau
2. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Matteis Jr.: Fantasia for Solo Violin in A Minor "Alia Fantasia"
3. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Telemann: Fantasia No. 9 for Solo Violin in B Minor, TWV 40:22: I. Siciliana
4. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Telemann: Fantasia No. 9 for Solo Violin in B Minor, TWV 40:22: II. Vivace
5. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Telemann: Fantasia No. 9 for Solo Violin in B Minor, TWV 40:22: III. Allegro
6. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Schumann: Phantasie in C Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 131
7. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Price: Fantasy No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor for Violin and Piano
8. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Schönberg: Phantasy for Violin and Piano, Op. 47
9. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Conrad: Fabricated Fantasies for Violin, Piano & Amplified Objects: I. The Machine Woman
10. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Conrad: Fabricated Fantasies for Violin, Piano & Amplified Objects: II. The Wedding Gift
11. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Conrad: Fabricated Fantasies for Violin, Piano & Amplified Objects: III. The Mistress of the Needle and Scissors
12. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - Conrad: Fabricated Fantasies for Violin, Piano & Amplified Objects: IV. A Tool for Making New Rules
13. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - James: Fantasy Vignettes Improvisations: I.
14. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - James: Fantasy Vignettes Improvisations: II.
15. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - James: Fantasy Vignettes Improvisations: III.
16. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - James: Fantasy Vignettes Improvisations: IV.
17. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - James: Fantasy Vignettes Improvisations: V.
18. Erin James, Todd Yaniw, Mari Alice Conrad - James: Fantasy Vignettes Improvisations: VI.



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