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FAR MORE DRUMS Robert Hohner Percussion
Ensemble Ogoun Badagris derives
its inspiration from Haitian drumming patterns, especially those of the Juba
Dance. Ogoun Badagris is one
of the most violent Voodoo loas (deities) and he can be appeased only by the
sacrifice of human blood. This
piece may thus be interpreted as a dance of appeasement.
The four conga drums are the focal point in the work and can be compared
with the role of the four most basic drums in the Voodoo religion - the bebe,
the seconde, the maman and the asator. The
metal plates and the sleigh bells are to a certain extent parallels of the
Haitian ogan. The piece opens with
a ceremonial call-to-action as the high priest shakes the giant rattle known as
the asson, here replaced by a cabasa. Then
the principal dance begins, a grouillere: this is a highly erotic ceremonial
dance which is in turn succeeded by the Danse Vaudou, the point at
which demonic possession occurs. The
word "reler" which the performers scream at the conclusion of the
piece, is the Voodoo equivalent of the Judeo-Christian amen. Staves This
high-energy piece incorporates many theatrical aspects as well as musical.
The beginning "themes" are ideas taken from musical West Side
Story and the symphonic work The Rite of Spring.
From there, the members of the group have taken rhythmic and dance ideas
from different cultures and blended them into the piece.
Drummers of Dagbon was
transcribed by Carla Becker. It is
based on the traditional drumming from the African nation of Ghana.
The piece features unique instruments called talking drums. These are heard in one of the accompaniment parts as well as
in the lead (soli) part. They act
as the bass line which remains constant through the piece. Lift-Off
Russell Peck was born in Detroit, MI. in 1945 and
studied at the University of Michigan and at the Eastman School of Music.
He has been composer, pianist, actor and filmmaker with the multimedia
groups ONCE, The Great Society, PORK, and the Contemporary Directions Ensemble.
Peck has also held a myriad of fellowships, awards, and prizes.
He has been composer-in-residence to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
and to the City of Indianapolis. Lift-Off
features three percussionists performing on three identically tuned sets of
three bass drums. It was composed
in 1978 while Peck was on the faculty at Northern Illinois University. Ku-Ka-Ilimoku
"In Hawaiian mythology, Ku is perhaps the most
fundamental and important of gods, occupying a place similar to that of Zeus in
Greek mythology of Odin in Norse legend. Ku is manifested in several forms: as
Ku-Ka-Ilimoku he represented the god of war. Thus this work for percussion
ensemble is best viewed as a savage, propulsive war dance." Ketiak
"On the Indonesian Island of Bali exists a
marvelous form of folk art made up of a dance-drama on the Indian epic called
Ramayana. Ketiak consists of a small group of dancers at center stage
surrounded by over one hundred grown men imitating monkeys' calls by chanting 'tjak,
tjak, tjak' in a sharply pronounced rhythmic style. The chanters are divided
into several smaller groups that pass several rhythmic patterns amongst
themselves, which produce an incredible achievement of ensemble. My composition, Ketiak is
based upon four different rhythmic patterns extracted from their original
patterns by musical analysis. Like the chanting accompanists in their original
setting, the principle players also have four different rhythms used in reciting
the 'tjak' lyric. The chimes and timpani parts, however, are based on one of the
ancient scales called Raga of India, which produced Ramayana. From this
material, I have constructed an exotic and dramatic instrumental dialogue."
Crates has
become a traditional encore at our concerts.
It actually evolved while packing a truck before a tour.
While instruments were being placed in the packing crates, members of the
ensemble began to tap, bang and beat on them.
Hence, an improvisatory percussion ensemble piece was born.
The group eventually added chairs, music stands and pickle buckets to the
arrangement.
The piece consists of three main sections of undetermined length,
allowing the players room for creativity within the form. Tsunami Taiko
drumming is an ancient Japanese tradition once used to drive away the evil
spirits. Tsunami
begins with wind chimes, gongs and conch shells representing the precursor of
the tidal wave. The
piece starts in 6/8, and then shifts to 4/4 with various tempo changes, until it
engulfs the audience and performers with its driving rhythmic energy and
explosive sounds. Personnel: David Altwerger, Brian J. Ambrose, Jill Ball, Reuben Booms, Stephen Buckley, Joe Chvojka, Kelly Cotter, John L. Gage, Lori Gerard, Nathan Heim, Eien Hunter, Jake Huysentruyt, Dustin M. Jussila, Dan Kesterke, Seth Kilbourn, Aaron Lack, Stephen Lawhorne, Stephen A. Martin, Peter O'Neil, Don Raaymakers, Randal Ripley, Nick Steward, Stephanie Terpening, Lorne Watson, Jeffrey A. White, David Zerbe Recorded
in 6 channel DSD (Direct Stream Digital) by Tom Jung,
assisted by Mark Conese, on March 10, 2000, in the Recital Hall at the
Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, State University of New York. |
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