Dreams of Dalí
Inspired by the art and life of Spanish painter Salvador Dalí
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- The Persistence of Memory (Paris; 1931)
- Hello Dalí! (New York City; 1940)
- Spellbound (Hollywood; 1945)
- The Hallucinogenic Toreador (Púbol, Catalonia-Spain; 1970)
Instrumentation:
Piccolo
2 Flutes (minimum 4 players preferred
2 Oboes
English Horn
4 Bb Clarinet (minimum 8 players preferred)
Bb Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons
Contrabassoon
Bb Soprano Saxophone
Eb Alto Saxophone
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone
4 F Horns
4 C Trumpets
3 Tenor Trombones
Bass Trombone
2 Euphoniums
Tuba (minimum 2 players preferred)
Timpani (five drums)
Percussion (5 players; instruments are not shared):
Percussion 1: Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Very Large Woodblock, Very Large Whip, Large Crash Cymbals
Percussion 2: Vibraphone, Concert Bass Drum
Percussion 3: Marimba (five octaves preferable), Vibraslap, Large Woodblock, Suspended Cymbal, 2 Flexatones, Large Gong, Claves
Percussion 4: Tambourine (on stand),, Large Woodblock, Suspended Cymbal,, 2 Flexatones, 2 Triangles (small, large), Chimes, Claves, Vibraslap, Piccolo Snare Drum
Percussion 5: Large Shakers, Small Ratchet, Suspended Cymbal, Metal Wind Chimes, Castanets (on stand),
Very Large Whip
Piano
Contrabass (2 players preferred)
Publisher: Michael Daugherty Music
Duration: 23 minutes
World Premiere: April 13, 2024/University of Florida/Wind Symphony/Gainesville. Florida/ David Waybright, conductor
Program Note:
Dreams of Dalí (2025) for Symphonic Band was commissioned by the University of Florida to commemorate David Waybright’s 38 years as Director of Bands at the University of Florida School of Music.
The Dalí Museum, located in nearby St. Petersburg, is home to an extraordinary collection of over 2,400 artworks by the legendary Spanish artist Salvador Dalí (1904-1989). Renowned as the leader of the Surrealist movement, Dalí was known for incorporating shocking subject matter in his artwork while exploring eccentric, subconscious imagery from real and imagined dreams. Divided into four movements, my composition is a musical reflection on the unique art and flamboyant life of Salvador Dalí:
The Persistence of Memory (Paris; 1931)
Salvador Dalí achieved international fame with “The Persistence of Memory “ (1931), a Surrealist painting of dreamlike landscapes and melting clocks that symbolize the relativity of time.
Hello Dalí! (New York City; 1940)
Forced to leave Europe with his wife Gala at the outbreak of World War II, no American city was better suited to Salvador Dalí’s unique brand of outlandish entrepreneurial showmanship, bizarre publicity stunts, and strange groundbreaking art than New York. Dalí remarked, “The difference between a madman and me is that I am not mad.”
Spellbound (Hollywood; 1945)
At the invitation of legendary director Alfred Hitchcock, Salvador Dalí came to Hollywood to create a Surrealistic, Freudian, nightmarish dream montage for the classic film Spellbound (1945) starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman.
The Hallucinogenic Toreador (Púbol, Catalonia-Spain; 1970)
Considered Salvador Dalí’s last great Surrealist painting, The Hallucinogenic Toreador (1970) depicts death and resurrection in the Spanish bullfighting ring. Regarding death, Dalí declared in a 1958 CBS television interview, “I believe in general in death, but in the death of Dalí, absolutely not!” When Dalí died at the age of 84 alone in his castle in Púbol, it is said that he was listening to a recording of Wagner’s tragic opera, Tristan und Isolde.
–Michael Daugherty
