Of Wizards and Dragons for Concert Wind Band

About The Piece

Timing: 8 Minutes

Level 5

Of Wizards and Dragons is a programmatic work inspired by the first book of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede.  Princess Cimorene, an atypical princess bored of mundane royal life, elects to become a dragon’s princess by allowing herself to be captured. In this story, the Wizards are the “bad guys” that can only be melted with soapy water mixed with a little bit of lemon (represented by the clarinet run in the Battle section). Keeping with the mood of the story, the piece contains a balanced mixture of drama, humor, and a wee bit of romance.

The original clarinet solo was composed in 2012 for Chris Nutter, a close friend, and talented clarinetist. The wind band version is a combination of transcription and orchestration with a little bit of new composition to add a unique aspect and more dimension to this version of the piece.