Garden of Shadow and Sorcery
for orchestra (2.2.2.2/2.2.0.0/timp+2/harp/celesta/str)
Garden of Shadow and Sorcery is a whimsical symphonic poem indirectly inspired by a brief but severe fantasy novel binge in the summer of 2013. It can be considered an exploration of the Alice in Wonderland trope: a child exploring a strange, colourful, perhaps bewitched place. The main theme—a naïve little tune resembling a lullaby, first heard in the bells and celesta at 1:39 in the recording below—is subjected to a variety of fantastical and slightly macabre transformations as the child is drawn deeper into the enchanted garden.
This piece was premiered in a reading by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in April 2014.
This piece was premiered in a reading by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in April 2014.