Duncan Stubbs

Dragon Dance

Of all dragon species, the habits of the ice dragon, hidden away in its mountain fastness, are the least known. Spending most of their lives deep below ground in vast caverns they venture abroad very rarely. Fiercely territorial, encounters with others of their kind precipitate conflict, both immediate and violent. Those few people who have witnessed such encounters, and survived them, liken them to a kind of frenetic dance, hence the title of the piece. Heavily armed, intelligent creatures, the contests are highly ritualised. The frantic pace and intensity of the encounters mean they tend to be brief, ending with one, or often both beasts, crashing into the mountain side, causing a huge avalanche that invariably marks the end of the encounter.
Prestige Concert Band Series.