The titleThe piece, commissioned in 2001 by the Banda Civica di Soncino, is one of several works that have been specifically written for this prestigious wind orchestra by a number of well-known North European composers. "Story Book" is inspired by a group of tales that are a mixture of history and legend - the former based on historical facts, the latter on traditional beliefs - all connected with life in Soncino (a farming and industrial community in the Cremona plain). The tales are all involves events in the castle (which is still in very good condition) and life at court during the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance period. As the piece develops, it recounts the legend of strange presences in the castle tower (Phantom of the red tower), the bloody battle against invaders (The battle), the foggy landscape and strange female figures seen floating over marshland where there was once a lake (Enchanted lake), and finally the ceremony in the castle's Piazza d'Armi to celebrate victory over the invaders.

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