Commission opportunity
- Grade level – 5
- Duration – 4 movements – 17-20 minutes
- Buy-in – $800
- Instrumentation – large wind ensemble (optional instruments – harp, contrabassoon, contrabass clarinet)
- Exclusivity period – September 2024-August 2025
Midi audio sketches
TALES OF SCIENCE AND MAGIC is a big one, the next step in my effort to create large-scale, ambitious, 21st Century repertoire for wind ensemble, following up on the direction set by THE TIME TRAVELER. It’s specifically designed to present an absorbing and challenging journey for the musicians as they work to prepare it. The subject matter in this case is my favorite literature – science fiction and fantasy, the language of the imagination.
Movement I, called SENSE OF WONDER, sets the tone for the suite. It is named after that mysterious quality which every author of imaginative fiction tries to evoke in their readers. Movement II, THE SORCERER, is classic fantasy, set in the dramatic story-telling style of a symphonic poem or film score, moving freely through numerous tempo and mood changes.
Movement III, CITY OF LIGHT, is a futuristic, high-energy, arena rock fanfare, featuring an aggressive use of drum set and dynamic brass to drive the ensemble. It’s a shout-out to science fiction from the classic era – a shining and optimistic vision of a technology-driven future. Movement IV, entitled NEXT, takes a look at an ambiguous future fraught with change. It starts out with disjointed fragments, which eventually are knit together by the connective tissue of melody and harmony before taking off for parts unknown. As I was writing it, NEXT took many an unexpected turn, portraying an intense and powerful, but ultimately unknowable, future.
Tales of Science and Magic score sample
Timeline
- Now-August 2024 – first half of fee due
- Spring 2024 – read-throughs, rehearsal recordings and feedback period for any who are interested in participating
- Summer 2024 – delivery of scores and parts
- September 2024-August 2025 – exclusivity period, performances