The Dragon's Lair - Todd Stalter

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The Dream Catcher - W. Francis McBeth

The Dream of Olwen - Ch. Williams

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The Dream of Tiberius - David Campo

The Roman Emperor Tiberius was born in 42 BCE to Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla, both descendants of prestigious political families, at a time when Rome was undergoing significant political upheaval. Julius Caesar had begun a brutal civil war in 49 BCE to end Rome's rule as a Republic and consolidate his power as supreme ruler. Following Caeser's assassination in 44 BCE, Tiberius' father backed the forces wishing to return Rome to a Republic, but they were defeated by Caesarian loyalists led by Caeser's heir Octavian. As a result, Tiberius' early life was spent on the run and in political exile with his parents. In 27 BCE, Octavian would become the first Emporer of Rome and assume the name Augustus. Augustus forced Tiberius' parents to divorce and took Tiberius' mother as his new bride, separating the family and forcing Tiberius to live with his father. Upon his father's death, Tiberius went to live with his mother and Emporer Augustus, a situation Tiberius found extremely uncomfortable but one over which he had no control. Having been adopted by the Emperor, Tiberius assumed the military and political life thrust upon him. He proved to be an outstanding military and political leader, and with his marriage to Vipsania Agrippina his life took on a heretofore unknown stability. However, Augustus would intervene in Tiberius' life once more, forcing him to abandon his happy marriage and take Augustus' daughter Julia (Tiberius' step sister) as his new wife. This arrangement, while securing Tiberius' place as Augustus' heir and ensuring he would one day be Emperor of Rome, was disastrous. Julia's drunken licentiousness was a constant source of scandal and embarrassment for Tiberius (and her father, the Emperor) and she was eventually exiled by her father Augustus. Tiberius was named Emperor of Rome upon the death of Augustus in AD 14, assuming his position as the most powerful man on Earth. However, no matter how powerful he had become, Tiberius never felt as if he had ever had any control over his life, having been manipulated from childhood through adulthood by the whims of Augustus. As Emperor, he soon became disgusted with the political intrigue of the Roman Senate and by AD 26 left Rome and took up residence on the island of Capri, where he lived out the rest of his life. History does not regard Tiberius fondly and by all accounts towards the end of his reclusive life on Capri, he had become a miserable, sick and mentally unstable old man reveling in debauchery and cruelty. It is also informative to note that he was Emperor of Rome when Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, and while there is no indication that Tiberius was even aware of the existence of Jesus, as Emperor he was responsible for the appointment of Pontius Pilate as Governor of Judea. Even considering this, it is difficult to look on the life of the Emperor Tiberius and not feel some sympathy and pity. It's in this spirit that I composed "The Dream of Tiberius." I imagine the man sitting in thoughtful seclusion on the beautiful island of Capri imagining what his life might have happily been had not power been thrust upon him: husband, father and humble servant of the people.

The Dream of Victory - Michael Geisler

The Norwegian Roald Amundsen had actually been planning an expedition to the Arctic for a long time. But at the beginning of September 1909, two other adventurers announced that they had already reached the Pole: Frederick Cook and Robert Edwin Peary. Amundsen changed his mind - if he could no longer be the first man at the North Pole, he at least wanted to be the first to set foot on the South Pole. On 7 June 1910, Amundsen set off on an Antarctic expedition that went down in the annals of history.

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The Dream of Willy Freeman - Andreu Comos

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The Drunken Sailor - Norman Tailor

The Duke of Albany - Jacob de Haan

This suite tells the story of John Stewart, the Duke of Albany (the old name for the Kingdom of Scotland) who lived from 1484 to 1536, and of Anne de la Tour, Countess of Auvergne. The first majestic movement is about John Stewart, who leaves for Auvergne in order to marry Anne de la Tour. The second movement begins beautiful and romantic describing the romance between Anne de la Tour and the Duke, followed by sounds of despair and loneliness. The celebratory finale describes the construction of a new chapel and the population dancing and celebrating.

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The Duke's Finest - Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington (1889- 1974) was a very successful American pianist, conductor, composer and arranger. His orchestra existed for decades and was able to survive thanks to the enormous hits that he and his collaborators wrote. Many of those songs now belong to the standard repertoire of jazz musicians.Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967) was arranger and composer with the orchestra from 1939, and also wrote Take the A-Train, which became the band's favourite song from 1941. Many recordings were made of it. Juan Tizol (1900-1984, valve trombone) played with Duke Ellington almost his entire career and composed Latin songs for the orchestra. He is co-composer of Caravan and Perdido.Just likein the original Duke Ellington concerts, the medley begins with Take the A-Train, followed by a number of classics from the repertoire of the legendary orchestra. In some songs there are soloists, notable a solo on kettledrums in C- Jam Blues. This solo can also be improvised.When rehearsing a lot of attention has to be paid to the drum and bass, which together form the rhythm section and drive the orchestra on. The other sections have to be tight and create a coherent swing effect. The swing shouldn't be too stiff, and can vary per song. For example in "In a Sentimental Mood", the melody can be played almost straight (classically), while the rhythm section continues swinging.

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The Durham Ox - Darrol Barry