Hues I

Two Concert Pieces was composed by Claudio Santangelo in 2014. Claudio Santangelo is a percussionist and composer from Italy. He is most known for his virtuosic four-mallet original and medley marimba works that are quite pianistic and technical in nature. Fellow percussion artists have declared that his music is ”inspired”, “highly technical”, and “emotional” and that he is a “brilliant and exceptional musician”. Claudio has been featured in the press since a young age, being deemed a child prodigy by many young artist musical competition agencies. Unique to this piece, the performer uses four vibraphone mallets on the timpani and common techniques such as double and triple laterals and metered one-handed rolls and less common techniques such as multiple bounce strokes with outer mallets and brush-like strokes created by running the hand across the drumhead.

Concerto for Vibraphone was composed by Emmanuel Séjourné in 1999. Emmanuel Séjourné is a known composer, percussionist, and educator whose compositions range from classically informed to pieces based on improvisations. Multiple versions of this concerto exist: one for vibraphone and piano, vibraphone and small percussion ensemble, and the original version for vibraphone and string orchestra accompaniment. Today, I will be performing the first movement of this concerto with the inclusion of an audio track playing both the piano parts and layering other electronic samples within the piece (created by Alejandro Coello). This movement features quick-paced changing of key centers, improvisation over the melody, and rhythmic modulations throughout and uses a bass bow to play the melody at the opening of the piece.

Corruption was composed by Russell Wharton in 2022. Russell Wharton is an active composer and instructor in the marching arts field, currently teaching at Rhythm X and The Cavaliers. In concert percussion repertoire, Russell specializes in crafting pieces that use audio playback tracks. To me, Corruption tells the story of someone being chased by the darkness within their life. The audio track speaks to the person and attempts to move them along, which ends up pushing them past a point of no return. With nowhere to go and no ability to see, they scream at the top of their lungs, hoping someone will hear and be able to help them. No one hears. The haunt begins again, eventually driving the person to a cliff. They sit down, and are met with a slight sense of calm at the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks deep below. Some solace is found, but at the back of their mind, the darkness resides within.

Malice was composed by Caleb Pickering in 2017. Caleb Pickering is currently the Assistant Professor of Percussion at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. In addition to his compositional talents, he is a highly sought-after clinician who offers masterclasses, clinics, and adjudications for national and international level groups. Compositionally, he is most known for creating works that feature audio track accompaniments, particularly those that address social issues. This piece is an aggressive and technical work that employs numerous techniques found in today’s advancing four-mallet literature, including combination lateral strokes, dead-strokes, and intricate meter changes.

Koolish Zein was composed by John Psathas in 2019. John Psathas is one of New Zealand’s most frequently performed composers and is known for writing many popular percussion works that have stood the test of time; such as One Study, One Summary, Koolish Zein, and Atalanta. John has also written for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and collaborated with artists such as Michael Brecker, Serj Tankian, and Oum. Many of his pieces are accompanied by electronic tracks to add color and variety to his pieces that aren’t able to be created using acoustic instruments. This piece features three movements, but today I will be performing only the first titled “Her Alchemy”. In this movement, the track primarily serves as an ethereal and colorful pad, which provides harmony for the acoustic instruments. The track lacks significant rhythmic interaction or intensity, with much of the rhythmic drive coming from the acoustic ensemble. Psathas uses string bows, particularly on the vibraphone, to mimic the high female voices present in the audio accompaniment track (which came from Logic Pro’s Alchemy plugin). He also uses this player to double the voices and melodic content found in the electronic track.

Program Notes