Three Fancies ("Fantasy Suite")

Three Fancies („Fantasy Suite »)

For Solo Oboe and String Quartet

After composing Three Fancies for oboe and piano in 1957, Freda Swain created this version for solo oboe and string quartet in March 1958.

However, she did not use the same title as for the piano version, 'Fantasy Suite', but instead reverted to the original title, 'Three Fancies', which she had rejected six months earlier.

Apart from a few details, the string quartet version is an exact transcription of the piano version, with Swain making effective use of pizzicato and slightly adjusting the dynamics. The most significant change is the addition of a three-bar coda at the end of the final piece. This results in a much livelier and more effective ending than that of the piano version.

Unfortunately, we do not know who the original version was composed for, nor what prompted Swain to create the string quartet version.
Nevertheless, it is wonderful to have a piece with this rare and interesting instrumentation. Apart from Gerald Finzi's Interlude, Op. 21, I am not aware of any other piece with this instrumentation.

Furthermore, despite being short and posing no major technical challenges for the players, the „Three Fancies“ are of an equal standard to Swain's larger works.
It would be wonderful to see this piece become part of the concert repertoire.