PROGRAM NOTE

Kinder-und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Houshold Tales) is an inspired overture for orchestra after the fairy tales of the Grimm brothers. The title is taken from the German book title of the same name that is comprised of a list of fairy tale masterworks of our time (The Frog King, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella). There is no one story that is meant to be portrayed through the work, rather it strives to capture the shadowy, whimsical and mystifying essence, and the inescapable sense of danger and adventure of the beloved Grimm stories. The overture is based on an ascending three-note scale motive that undergoes a series of variations from its light fairy-like beginnings, through a perilous scherzo, and to a glorious and bombastic chorale-finale.

Winner of the 2014 Alabama Orchestra Association Composition Competition