Glorious Percussion

Glorious Percussion was commissioned by Anders Loguin, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and was first performed on September 18th 2008 by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.

The solo percussion ensemble consists of five players, some of whose instruments are placed to the right and the left of the orchestra, including numerous gongs, and others of which are placed to the right and left of the conductor, including marimba and vibraphone. Five bass drums are at the very front; these are only used at the very end during a large final intensification. The solo percussionists step in front of the orchestra to improvise at seven places during the work.

The orchestra is regular in size, however the composer uses more brass instruments and less woodwind. There are also two percussionists in the orchestra who use timpani, bass drum and tam-tam.

"Two special characteristics distinguish this work from my previous works:

A. The central theme here is the agreement of the sounding intervals with their difference tones. The structure of the form then results from this as well: the sound movement thrice comes to a standstill. Before this static background, only the respective pulsation caused by the intervals of the previous chord remains. Such episodes appear at particular structural points, thus subjecting the form to the law of the Golden Section.

B. The solo percussionists have seven episodes in this work in which they step before the orchestra and improvise without a fixed note-text. This is more or less a reminiscence of a performance practice from a time during which only an oral culture existed." — Sofia Gubaidulina