The original poem is about two birds, a phoenix and a turtle dove, who fall in love, but that love is shunned by all of the other birds except the eagle. Our two birds reflect and are deeply saddened by all that will be lost so they might be together. They then flee their former lives and the birds that don’t wish them together before finding a place of their own, and eventually with time, the two come to terms with their existence and simply exist to love one another and cherish the time they have. This love bringing them so close together that one hardly exists outside of the other. Yet the years together are not enough, as though the phoenix is immortal, the turtle dove can only live so long. So this poem closes, with the phoenix alone again.

Orchestration: Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, E-flat Clarinet (or Soprano Saxophone), 3 Clarinets in B-Flat, Bass Clarinet in B-Flat, 2 Alto Saxophones in E-Flat, Tenor Saxophone in B-Flat, Baritone Saxophone in E-Flat, 3 Trumpets in B-Flat, 4 Horns in F, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Double Bass, Timpani, Percussion 1 (Conga, Snare Drum, Crash Cymbal, Bass Drum), Percussion 2 (Triangle, Mark Tree, Castanets, Vibraslap)

Difficulty: Grade 4

Complete Set product cost: $70.00 Listing price including taxes and transaction fees: $78.40

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