Ascending the Castle

An engaging storytelling experience, Ascending the Castle works best for introducing dotted quarter / eighth note rhythms, divisi & unison parts, or small tempo changes. If you want to build endurance in intermediate-level players and move from common 2-minute pieces into a 3.5 minute piece, this is for you. Inspired by the composer’s fascination with the old, abandoned castles appearing in various media from Naughty Dog’s “Uncharted” series to the “Game of Thrones” television show, Ascending the Castle captures the journey of an adventurer that must climb a massive, crumbling, yet eerily beautiful structure in order to gain an artifact, a perspective, or a goal. Upon reaching the summit, the adventurer turns around and looks out on the height and distance covered and reflects on the overcome obstacles and the next journey that lies ahead. Unlike mountains, castles are built by mankind and later conquered by mankind, a metaphor for goal-setting and achievement.