Dragon at a Party

Orchestra and high voice

16 minutes

       2 flutes. 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in Bb, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F,

     2 trumpets in Bb, 2 trombones, tuba, timpani, harp

            percussion (2 players):  tam-tam (metal and normal beaters), suspended cymbal

(bowed and struck),   triangle, bass drum, vibraphone, marimba, crotales

          violin 1, violin 2, viola, violoncello & double bass

Text: Roger McGough, Nick Toczek, Carol Ann Duffy and Paul Dehn

Written for Roger Tabler and the Pittsburgh Philharmonic Orchestra who

first performed the work on October 13th, 2007, with soprano Amy Stabnau.

“It's a rainbow of colours - great orchestration.  There's text painting from the

beginning to the end. The poetry is brought to life.  It's challenging, it's fun.”

Roger Tabler

"Dragon at a Party, by Alastair Stout, music director and organist at the Coraopolis

United Methodist Church, is a setting of four ghoulish poems for soprano and orchestra.

‘The piece, in four movements, weaves the scary with the silly, making a great fabric

for a Halloween concert,’ says Roger Tabler,  music director of the Philharmonic.

‘They are rather bizarre, which I think adds to the fun, in a creepy kind of way!’ says

Valerie Golik, executive  director. ‘I think it's a great way to encourage young people

to envision poetry as music and music as poetry.’”

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, October 2007

Sound sample - from movement 2: Jamjar - performed

by Amy Stabnau and the Pittsburgh Philharmonic

Orchestra, directed by Roger Tabler.

Alastair Stout, Amy Stabnau and Roger Tabler

Sound sample - from movement 3: Mrs Ravoon - performed

by Amy Stabnau and the Pittsburgh Philharmonic

Orchestra, directed by Roger Tabler.

Sound sample - the end of movement 3: Mrs Ravoon -

performed by Amy Stabnau and the Pittsburgh Philharmonic

Orchestra, directed by Roger Tabler.