The Kraken Awakens
Composed 2026 | Published at Randall Standridge Music, LLC
Duration: 2.0 minutes | Grade 1.5 Concert Band
From the deepest, blackest reaches of the sea, it stirs. Ancient. Vast. Unfathomable. The Kraken Awakens lets young musicians explore the dark sounds of the concert band as it captures the terror and majesty of this legendary sea monster. Restless ostinatos and bellowing low winds and percussion pulsate throughout the score. Woodwinds and high brass shimmer like shifting currents and retreating fish. Using dark, explosive motives, the music embodies the sounds of terrified sailors, ships, even other sea creatures as they scurry around from the Kraken's attack. The piece ends with a cataclysmic descent, as sailors flee with fear from the monster's final blow. The Kraken Awakens is a work of relentless energy and primal fury—an unflinching portrait of the sea's scarier side.