Concert Band
Hail the Dragon!
Grade 5 | 5 Mins
Hail the Dragon! was commissioned by the Cory Band, from South Wales, to celebrate their 125th anniversary in 2009. It was first performed at their anniversary concert on June 20th that year in St. David’s Hall, Cardiff.
The composer writes:
‘Having written The Year of the Dragon for Cory’s centenary concert in 1984 (also in St. David’s Hall) I was delighted to be asked to contribute a work for their 125th anniversary celebrations
Hail the Dragon! was designed as a concert opener and begins with a vivacious and energetic fanfare, which leads to a dance-like figure played first by the woodwinds and then the brass. The mood subsides and a solo trumpet introduces an expressive central section, which builds to an emotive climax. This hails a return to the opening music, which now acts as a descant to a short musical quotation from the last movement of The Year of the Dragon before crashing to a close.’