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Winds of Nagual
This work bears the subtitle "A Musical Fable for Wind Ensemble on the Writings of Carlos Castaneda."
Contents |
General Info
Year: 1985
Duration: c. 25:00
Difficulty: VII (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Score and Parts -Rental | Full Score Only - $65.00
Movements
1. The Desert: Don Juan Emerges from the Mountains - 4:17
2. Carlos Meets Don Juan; First Conversation - 0:54.
3. Don Genaro Appears - 0:34
4. Don Genero Satirizes Carlos - 1:46
5. Carlos Stares at the River and Becomes a Bubble - 2:26
6. The Gait of Power - 2:27
7. Asking Twilight for Calmness and Power - 4:36
8. Don Juan Clowns for Carlos - 6:50
9. Last Conversation and Farewell - 4:46
Instrumentation
Full Score
Flute I-II-III (all double piccolo, two double Alto Flute)
Eb Soprano Clarinet
Bb Clarinet I-II-III-IV-V-VI
Bb Bass Clarinet
Eb Contra-Alto Clarinet
Bb Contrabass Clarinet
Contrabassoon
Soprano Saxophone
Alto Saxophone
Trumpet I-II-III-IV-V-VI (Trumpet V-VI double Cornet)
Flugelhorn
Horn in F I-II-III-IV-V-VI
Trombone I-II-III-IV-V-VI (Trombone V-VI should be bass trombones)
Euphonium (two players)
Tuba (2 players)
String Bass (2 players)
Celesta (and piano)
Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:
- Bass Drum
- Bongos
- Cowbell (5)
- Crotales
- Cymbals (1 pr. 8" crash, 3 large crash, 4 large suspended)
- Field Drum
- Gongs (3)
- Marimba
- Parsifal Bells
- Snare Drum
- Temple Block
- Tenor Drum
- Timbales
- Tubular Bells
- Vibraphone
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Winds of Nagual is based on the writings of Carlos Castaneda about his 14-year apprenticeship with Don Juan Matis, a Yaqui Indian sorcerer from Northwestern Mexico. Castaneda met don Juan while researching hallucinogenic plants for his master's thesis in Anthropology at UCLA. Juan became Castaneda's mentor and trained him in pre-Colombian techniques of sorcery, the overall purpose of which is to find the creative self - what Juan calls the nagual.
Each of the characters has a musical theme: Juan's is dark and ominous, yet gentle and kind; Carlos' is open, direct.
The work is programmatic, with a variety of styles and moods. These moods sometimes change abruptly to reflect the narrative of the story. In places, characters are represented by certain instruments and themes, not unlike the Wagnerian leitmotif. In a 1991 interview, Colgrass described his approach to Winds of Nagual stating, “Important to me in this piece is the sudden change of styles and feelings and moods and tempos. These characteristics are indigenous to the books, where a humorous situation will be followed instantly by a terrifying one. I tried to capture these changes and moods in the music.”
-Note by the composer, quoted by Frank L. Battisti
The first movement, The Desert, is highly evocative of the opening of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. The opening sound of the Eb clarinet is a possible reminder of the bassoon in the treble clef from Stravinsky's Ballet. In the third movement, Don Genaro Appears, laughter can be heard from the clarinets. In the eighth movement, Don Juan Clowns for Carlos, clowns from a circus or carnivale can be heard here. The clarinet and saxophone sections utilize folk music to make sound that could remind the listener of a memory of painted up performers. And the final movement, Last Concersation and Farewell, a similar sounding feel arises to the Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky.
Commercial Discography
Audio Links
Audio sample. Ensemble and conductor unknown
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Recent Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
Additional Works for Winds by this Composer
- Apache Lullaby
- Arctic Dreams
- Bali
- The Beethoven Machine
- Deja Vu
- Dream Dancer
- Gotta Make Noise
- Mysterious Village
- Old Churches
- Urban Requiem
- Winds of Nagual
