Kyoto (percussion quintet)

Kyoto, premiered by the Ju Percussion Group in Taiwan City on May 20, 2011, was commissioned by the group for the Taipei International Percussion Convention. Departing from my earlier intense and physically demanding percussion compositions, such as Drum Dances and Etude from One Study One Summary, Kyoto shares stylistic similarities with his marimba concerto Djinn. The piece maintains a constant rhythmic semiquaver pulse that drives the momentum, transitioning through varying time signatures and punctuated by moments of silence that give rise to shifts in harmonic content. Two contrasting ideas, rhythmically driven melodic lines and vibraphone arpeggios, alternate before converging in a climactic moment. The title of the work is inspired by a 1976 improvisation by pianist Keith Jarrett recorded in Kyoto, which served as a transformative catalyst for my journey as a composer.

Full Instrumentation

Players 1&2: 5 octave marimba (shared), or 2 marimbas

Player 3: vibraphone

Player 4: toms, suspended cymbal, triangle

Player. 5: vibraphone, glockenspiel, triangle

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Performance Notes

• Notes with a cross centred on the stem indicates a deadstroke.
• Pedaling, where marked, should be followed explicitly to ensure all notes are held as specified by the laissez vibrer (l.v.) markings.
• Solo and non solo markings throughout emphasise which instrument or phrase is predominant.

Percussion 1: Vibraphone 1 (soloist role and should be positioned centrally)

Percussion 2: Vibraphone 2, Glockenspiel and Triangle‍

• Both vibraphones require foot switches for operating the motor.
• The glockenspiel sounds two octaves higher than written.

Percussion 3 & 4: Marimba (5-octave) shared between the two players.

• The marimba parts are designed to be performed on a single 5-octave marimba which is to be shared between two players. It is also possible to perform this work on two separate instruments. The Performance Set (PE174P) includes a combined part containing the marimba grand staff and two individual parts to accommodate both performance options.
• In Marimba Player 2 mm.33-40, the p markings only apply to the notes they are directly below.
• Marimba Player 2 requires a bow for the arco section mm.123-141. Two mallets are to be held in the left hand at this point to facilitate the playing of mm.139-140 where a lateral roll is required concurrently with a bowed note.

Percussion 5: 3 Tom-toms, Splash Cymbal, Triangle

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