The Selfish Giant
Christopher Gainey
About this work:
This piece is a musical retelling of "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde. The text is presented in its original form with a few exceptions. First, many of the more descriptive passages are not read aloud, but rather musically represented by the flute. Second, a portion of the story containing overtly Christian symbolism has been removed. The purpose of this cut is to highlight universally applicable messages of this little fable, while avoiding the possibility that religious imagery may offend or alienate portions of the audience. I encourage everyone to embrace his or her own reaction to this diminutive, yet powerful parable.
Version: flute and storyteller
Year composed: 2011
Duration: 00:12:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 1 Flute, 1 Narrator