Battle of the Woodland Creatures

$40.00

for chamber orchestra (2015)

 

Description

Audio


Duration

6 min.

Instrumentation

1.1.1.1 / 1.1.1 / Percussion (Snare Drum, Temple Blocks) / Harp / Strings

Program Notes

Battle of the Woodland Creatures is a musical adventure stemming completely from fictional imagery. As an avid lover of all things magic and fantasy, I wanted to write complementary music to the concept of critters at war with each other. Imagine swashbuckling squirrels at arms against a horde of owls, or perhaps the tree-dwelling swallows are dive bombing a pack of chipmunks.

Musically, the first section of the piece has a distinct march-like quality, reflecting the militaristic aspect of war (even if it is between rodents, birds, and all things woodland). There are whimsical melodic themes, ensuring that the march maintains some level of eccentricity. The middle section concentrates on the harp, an instrument often associated with mystical forests. I envision the slower tempo of this section emulating both sides of the army recovering from the day’s battle, prepping for the combat ahead.

As the tempo accelerates, material from the first section returns as a recapitulation, indicating another battle takes place.
I aim to reinvigorate your imagination, bringing color to any mental image that appears while listening to the battle “…of the Woodland Creatures.”

 

Description

Audio


Duration

6 min.

Instrumentation

1.1.1.1 / 1.1.1 / Percussion (Snare Drum, Temple Blocks) / Harp / Strings

Program Notes

Battle of the Woodland Creatures is a musical adventure stemming completely from fictional imagery. As an avid lover of all things magic and fantasy, I wanted to write complementary music to the concept of critters at war with each other. Imagine swashbuckling squirrels at arms against a horde of owls, or perhaps the tree-dwelling swallows are dive bombing a pack of chipmunks.

Musically, the first section of the piece has a distinct march-like quality, reflecting the militaristic aspect of war (even if it is between rodents, birds, and all things woodland). There are whimsical melodic themes, ensuring that the march maintains some level of eccentricity. The middle section concentrates on the harp, an instrument often associated with mystical forests. I envision the slower tempo of this section emulating both sides of the army recovering from the day’s battle, prepping for the combat ahead.

As the tempo accelerates, material from the first section returns as a recapitulation, indicating another battle takes place.
I aim to reinvigorate your imagination, bringing color to any mental image that appears while listening to the battle “…of the Woodland Creatures.”

 

Tony Manfredonia

Tony is a composer and orchestrator for concerts and multimedia living in Petoskey, MI. He provides a multi-layered and sensory experience through expressive, colorful orchestration and warm melodies. He adds new perspectives to stories, environments, and everything in between through massive orchestral productions, as well as intimate atmospheres.

With performances and readings from renowned ensembles such as Apollo Chamber Players, the University of Cambridge Concert Band, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Tony’s music has been played across the globe.

He actively brings new music to his Northern Michigan home. Northern Symphonic Winds (NSW) of Charlevoix, MI, commissioned Tony to write a new piece for the ensemble, titled, On the Threshold of Spring, which premiered in May 2019. He is currently NSW’s composer-in-residence. Since 2018, he has worked closely with the Bay View Music Festival in Petoskey, with performances, premieres, and presentations for the summer students. In December 2019, he worked with The Accidentals, a local folk band, orchestrating their music for performance with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra.

Continually branching out into various styles, many of his projects involve sacred music: the full, orchestral score for Saint Luke Productions’ latest drama, “Tolton: From Slave to Priest,” their upcoming film, “Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy,” an Ave Maria for SATB Choir and Organ, as well as a Concert Band piece commissioned by Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem PA, “Rejoice in the Holy Spirit,” which premiered in September 2018.

All the while, Tony lives the life of a video game composer, constructing sonic spaces and emotionally-driven tracks to enliven each game’s world. His most recent, completed soundtracks are that for Kharon’s Crypt and Rot:Purge. Currently, he is working on the music for Call of Saregnar, a 90’s-inspired low-poly 3D RPG. Bridging the gap between “game music” and “contemporary classical music,” he continually strives to have his soundtracks performed as a means to draw in new audiences to the world of classical music. One example is his Suite from Kharon’s Crypt, an orchestral medley of tracks from the Kharon’s Crypt soundtrack.

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