In the Beginning
A Native American Legend from the Tlingit Tribe of the Northwest Coast.
The story of Raven and Ganook comes from the Alaskan Native Culture of the Tlingit Tribe. This story centers on how Raven tricks Ganook and brings water to the earth people. The narration is interspersed with orchestral sections: The Soft Darkness, Raven Arrives, The Ghosts, The Fish, Calypso, The Magic Spring, Raven's Waltz, Storytelling by the Fire, Bossa Nova, Raven's Escape, The Wobbly Flight and The Creation of the Crooked Rivers. Composed in 2007.
Instrumentation: 2-1+EH-2-2/4-2-3-1/2 perc, hp/str/narrator
Duration: 24 min.
View a PDF sample of the score
Listen to an audio sample of Raven's Waltz, Storytelling by the Fire and The Wobbly Flight:
Commissioned by ArtStart through the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
Premiere: The St. Paul Civic Symphony/ArtStart "Young Persons Concerts" (February 2007)
Additional performances were part of a two-week residency at the Mississippi Creative Arts Magnet School where all students grades K-6 made masks and rain sticks, and performed with the orchestra.
Back to Orchestral Music and more Music for Young Audiences