Written throughout the entirety of 2022, Desert Tales is an embodiment of composer Evan Erickson’s (b. 2003) freshman year of college. Serving as one of only two works written during his 2021-2022 school year at the University of Memphis, Evan takes inspiration from every aspect of his first year of his undergrad. From every concert he attended, all of the music he played in ensembles, new artists he learned about, his appreciation of being able to pursue a degree in music and move away from home, and influences from his teachers and friends, all of these came together to inspire the creation of this large-scale work.

This piece was composed for the University of Memphis Wind Ensemble and serves as a gift to its conductor, Dr. Albert Nguyen. His support, professional demeanor, leadership, and kindness inspires and surrounds the Memphis music community. Desert Tales is a tribute of gratitude and respect for the impact Dr. Nguyen has had on Evan’s life. Thank you, Dr. Nguyen.

Desert Tales is a three movement dance suite written for wind ensemble and dancers. The piece follows three small stories built in an imaginary desert kingdom. After writing “The Sultan’s Parade,” Evan’s father imagined something akin to the Disney movie Aladdin. This led to the creation of the surrounding movements and the storyline of Desert Tales.

In the opening movement, “Hymn of the Nomads,” a collection of nomads are roaming around the desert looking for somewhere to stay and rest. They are weary, but together they sing a melody to stay attentive to their task. This melody is sung by the members of the wind ensemble, which is a recurring motif across the entire work. Eventually, the nomads discover a desert kingdom where an annual festival is being held to celebrate their Sultan leader. “The Sultan’s Parade” begins with the low hum of the piano and bass drum as the nomads hear the distant noise of the festival coming from inside. When they arrive, there is partying in the streets, decorations hung about, food vendors, animals of all sorts, and a parade in honor of their Sultan. After participating in and enjoying the festival, they learn the Sultan will be sentencing some of the most wrongful criminals in the city. The end of this movement shows the chaos leading up to their sentence. But, it is decided; the criminals will be sentenced to death in “The Tiger Cave.”

Also taking inspiration from Aladdin, “The Tiger Cave” is a direct homage to the Cave of Wonders (a cave in the shape of a tiger’s head containing the magic lamp). The final movement switches to the perspective of the criminals as they are banished from the kingdom and prepare themselves for their punishment. There is energy, lopsided rhythms, chaos, tension, fright, and groove throughout this final movement as the criminals come to terms with their sentence. They will all be entering the home of a vicious feline twice their size and must fight for their life. Ending with unbridled chaos, it is up to the audience to decide what the outcome of the brawl in the cave was.