The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

This work is based on the famous stories of Baron Münchhausen. In these tall tales, the baron undertook all sorts of fabulous adventures. He flew, for example, on a cannonball, or rode on a horse torn in two; he turned a hungry wolf inside out, and pulled himself out of a swamp by his own hair.The historical figure of Münchhausen did exist, and some of the tales were actually recounted by him, while others have since been attributed to him. Four of the tales served as the inspiration for this composition. The music isn’t simply a word-for-word transcription of the stories, however, but rather conveys a particular mood or specific scene, often with a humorous twist.Here are thefour parts of the composition:The Horse: During a snowstorm the baron ties his horse to a post and falls into a deep sleep. As he awakes, the snow is melted away and the horse is dangling from the top of a church spire.Cannonball: The baron jumps onto a cannonball in flight, to spy on a city under siege. In mid-air he decides to return whence he came by stepping onto a cannonball flying in the other direction. He then gets shot into the city a second time and opens the gates from within.Flight to the Moon: Baron Münchhausen flies to the moon in a floating spacecraft, where he meets all sorts of strange creatures.Journey through the Earth: The baron jumps down into the bowels of Mount Etna and sets off on an adventurous journey right through the centre of the Earth.