Darryl Way - Violin Fantasia (2026)

This is my third large scale violin piece and the one I’m most proud of. It’s born of 55 years of
experience as a violinist and composer and in this piece, I have purposely pushed my abilities
in both these fields, as far as they could go.
I call it ‘Neo-Romantic’
, because it uses as a reference the glory days of orchestral music and the
great romantic composers like Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Sibelius, all of whom
wrote magnificent violin concertos. Not that I would dare to compare myself to these great
masters, they were just there, hovering in the ether, acting as a guiding light. Therefore, the piece
itself is tonal and predates the atonal movement that started at the beginning of the 20th
Century. Not that I’m adverse to atonality, being a great fan of Bartok, but I just felt that there
was still a lot more to say, using classical harmonies and melodies.
I’ve called it a ‘Fantasia’ as opposed to a ‘Concerto’
, because a concerto implies that its overall
purpose, is to show off the technique of the soloist and although the piece is extremely tricky,
that was not the primary intention. The intention was to create an exciting orchestral work that
showcases the ability of a symphony orchestra, to transport the listener on a magical journey.
Whether I have succeeded in that, that is not for me to say, but that was my intention.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it.