Palace Dances (2007)
Five views of Alexandra Palace, for flexibly scored woodwind orchestra.
Commissioned by the Palace Band, the five varied movements of this suite refer to the history of Alexandra Palace in North London.
Instrumentation: The basic flexible scoring for these pieces is four instrumental lines or parts, each of which can be shared between various instruments. The minimum instrumentation for the five pieces is: Flute 1, Flute 2, Clarinet 1, Clarinet 2, Clarinet 3, Bass Clarinet, with two or more players to each part. All the other instruments are optional, though some care would be needed to get a decent balance.
Part 1: Piccolo, Flute 1, Clarinet 1, Soprano Sax
Part 2: Flute 2, Oboe, Clarinet 2, Alto Sax 1
Part 3: Clarinet 3, Alto Sax 2, Tenor Sax 1
Part 4 :Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Tenor Sax 2, Baritone Sax
The movements are:
1. Intrada
2. Palace Pavane – a leisurely train journey to the palace, crossing the disused Muswell Hill Viaduct with its broad view over London
3. Alley Dance (the ‘Alley Pally’)
4. Princess Alexandra’s Minuet – after whom the Palace was named – later Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII
5. Palais de Danse – a young couple dance in the grand ballroom in the Palace’s heyday, having arrived on a ‘bicycle made for two’
The movements can be performed separately.
As well as a set of parts, two scores are provided. The short score, written at concert pitch, shows the four parts on four staves with the instrumentation indicated. The full score shows all parts, transposed.
Score and parts available as a digital download (includes short score at concert pitch, full score, and set of parts), from Sheet Music Direct, or Sheet Music Plus
Link to Scrolling Score
Link to performance on SoundCloud
An arrangement of the fourth movement, Princess Alexandra’s Minuet, will also soon be available separately for the following quartets: Three Clarinets and Bass Clarinet; Saxophone Quartet; String Quartet.
Extract 1 : Intrada
Extract 2: Palais de Dance