Spellbound – Halloween Concert

Join us (if you dare) for this magical and spooktacular evening of live classical and popular Halloween favorites.

Join us (if you dare) for this magical and spooktacular evening of live classical and popular Halloween favorites. From Ghostbusters and the Monster Mash to the haunting strains of Night on Bald Mountain, Danse Macabre, and a newly commissioned version of The Raven, this concert promises a ghoulishly good night of spellbinding music.

This concert also features Toccata in D Minor (the scary organ sound you hear everywhere!), Phantom of the Opera, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the “Devil’s Dance” from The Witches of Eastwick, “This is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and more!

Costumes are encouraged – just remember to leave any weapons at home!

Stay tuned for information on collaborations with Fort Collins Comic Con and Fort Collins Ghost Tours.

Program Notes for The Raven, by Morgan Denney

(Note: This concert will include the world premiere of Morgan Denney’s new musical setting of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven.)

The literary value of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven is widely known and studied. The narrative poem from 1845 stands incredibly well on its own in terms of musicality, rhythmic structure, pacing, and intrigue, so in being tasked to write music to accompany it I chose to focus on highlighting these and other qualities that are already inherently present in the text. The orchestra is able to contribute greatly to an atmosphere of suspense and, in this case, the range of emotions felt when coping with the death of a loved one. Musically, I opted for an underlying feeling of uneasiness and grief that builds as the narrator meets the raven and expresses his desperate contempt towards it.

Before the raven appears, the narrator is plagued with weariness and paranoia as he is inside his chamber hearing tapping on the door, which is greatly emphasized within the music. At the appearance of the raven and in much of the piece afterwards, there are short, layered motives that were inspired by recordings of real sounds made by ravens in essence; these include open fifth intervals most prominent in the brass, fluttering syncopations heard several times in the woodwinds, and simple rhythmic patterns in many places throughout. I also left some moments for the narrator to speak without much other sound, since I believe this is important for the tension in the text to be felt and processed.

Poe explained that the raven symbolizes “mournful and never-ending remembrance,” and I have sought to enhance this with the orchestral accompaniment and amplify the feeling of one’s soul being lifted “Nevermore.”

FCS Sponsors and Advertisers:

Season Sponsors:

Arts Without End Foundation

Dr. David and Alison Dennis

Dr. Ed Siegel

Dr. Peter Springberg

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