A musical portrait of the famous Black Castle, located in the city of Matsumoto, Japan, is vividly brought to life through themes that are both dramatic and bold. Featuring the percussion section throughout, Distant Castle is educationally sound programming for any concert setting and your percussionists may enjoy the optional opportunity to perform on traditional Japanese Taiko drums. The culture, beauty and history of Japan come to life in this new work for the beginning band by James Swearingen.