Edward J. Miller

2 tpt (C and B flat piccolo), horn in F, tenor trombone, tuba

1. The Folly Stone 2. Monster with a Basket 3. Fool with a Bowl 4. The Team of Demons 5. Paradise
About THE FOLLY STONE, the composer writes:"As the titles suggest, each movement represents my musical fantasiesabout a detail from one of Bosch's paintings. The main figure in THECURE OF FOLLY is a seated man. His madness or "folly" is being cured bythe surgical removal of a stone from his head. Having lived in the starkand grotesque atmosphere of my composition, I felt somewhat relievedwhen it was finished, and I was able to resume life in a sunnier, lessmonster-ridden world. I decided to name the entire piece after the firstdetail. In a sense, it represents my "folly" during those dark days. Theoperation seems to have been, at least temporarily, successful."The piece was completed in March, 1966. It has several obstacles forperformers (the ensemble precision, the enormous gulps of air requiredin the low brass at the end of THE TEAM OF DEMONS, the switchfrom C to Bb piccolo trumpets for PARADISE, and sheer stamina ingeneral) which are beautifully overcome in this [NWCRL302] recording."