Red Cape Tango from Metropolis Symphony

Description

Red Cape Tango was composed after Superman's fight to the death with Doomsday, and is my final musical work based on the Superman mythology. The principal melody, first heard in the bassoon, is derived from the medieval Latin death chant Dies irae. This dance of death is conceived as a tango, presented at times like a concertino comprising string quintet, brass trio, bassoon, chimes, and castanets. The tango rhythm, introduced by the castanets and heard later in the finger cymbals, undergoes a gradual timbral transformation, concluding dramatically with crash cymbals, brake drum, and timpani. The orchestra alternates between legato and staccato sections to suggest a musical bullfight. (1993)Since its premiere by the Baltimore Symphony in 1994 at Carnegie Hall, the GRAMMY®-winning Metropolis Symphony has entered the orchestral repertoire and been performed by orchestras all over the world. Metropolis Symphony is a five-movement musical response to the world of Superman; Red Cape Tango, Daugherty's final work based on the Superman mythology, is set after Superman's fight to the death with Doomsday. The principal melody (first heard in the bassoon) is derived from the medieval Latin death chant Dies Irae. This dance of death is conceived as a tango, presented at times like a concertino comprising string quintet, brass trio, bassoon, chimes, and castanets. The orchestra alternates between legato and staccato sections to suggest a musical bullfight.