CONCERTO FANTASY FOR TWO TIMPANISTS / IMPRESSIONIST MASTERWORKS
Wild Asses Question; have you ever dealt with pure insanity?
Well a wild ass makes most horses think twice about keeping them in the family. Movements are swift but the best defense is power, these jackasses reach speeds of 43 miles an hour. Light gray, slender and rarely at a local zoo, their blaring heehaws can sound kind of musical …
Tortoises A tortoise is low to the ground with a rock solid build, protection from a predator with a shell like a knight’ s shield. Moving at a speed that needs no interpretation, if you’ re thinking fast you won’ t last it’ s more of nailbiting frustration.
The Elephant I’ ll tell you what size matters when coming face-to-face with this robust animal one of a kind the world’ s biggest be-hind for a mammal. With tusks like the handles on a speedster and ears the size of two stereo speakers. Each step feeling like the ground could shake, maybe split or even break … is it possible an elephant can cause a minor earthquake?
Kangaroos The kangaroo is fast, energetic, small or even big, each hop is like the pogo stick I remember as a kid! Keeping your head on a swivel is a critical decision, did I mention a mob of kangaroos is a problematic position?
Aquarium The aquarium is a magical land of fish making a big splash; Sherlock Holmes would call it the world’ s biggest magnifying glass. Zoom in to this transparent dwelling, plants and sea creatures a feature too compelling … the fins of a fish make a swish like its propelling.
People with Long Ears A critic is full of opinions they wish were the law, but all the yapping might leave you appalled so no applause … yeah you heard it I’ m giving you just cause …
The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Forest A consistent whistle, flute or a hiccup will keep you on your toes who knows the cuckoo might say“ whatsup” before he rolls! Whether you hear’ em in the morning or chilling on the late night they’ re out of sight singing something that sounds like good advice …
Aviary A tantalizing display with an array of bird species, believe me the amount you gotta count just isn’ t that easy. You got parrots making jokes, crows are singing notes while the skylarks and the seagulls want mates to elope. Chirp, squawk and howl are the sounds that never end, but this aviary has a mix that a DJ could blend …
Pianists Black and white keys lend a cadence to singers while the pianists are musical magicians with magical fingers. Though pianos are rare for movements involving Bach a great piano player is skilled at jazz, blues and rock …
Fossils Animals of years past have ended their journey, with one final stop at the nearest taxidermy. Fossils of dinosaurs, bears, birds and monsters unexplained can remain in museums with a short span of fame. Guests beware if you visit late at night the bones of these creatures will come back to life …
The Swan Full of grace the swan swims while sitting down the queen of the pond needs a king to wear the crown. With necks stretching like a NASA rover, they stay up in your business so watch over your shoulder …
Finale Everybody hold on and relax the curtain hasn’ t closed yet, this grand finale is big anyone wanna take bets? A full ensemble will bring the carnival full circle; Saint-Saëns would be surprised his musical went universal … still, the BSO has shown some miraculous features, instruments were animals and
Marin conducted the creatures. A final farewell from these carnival rides when you exit please smile and spread some positive vibes!
Instrumentation: Flute including piccolo, clarinet, percussion and strings.
CONCERTO FANTASY FOR TWO TIMPANISTS
Philip Glass
Born in Baltimore, MD, January 31, 1937; now living in New York City, NY
In the past decade, we’ ve heard some stunning new concertos here that showcase a percussionist as the soloist. Philip Glass’ Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists from 2000 ratchets the energy generated by these concertos several degrees higher by featuring not one, but two timpanists, working at arrays of roughly a dozen kettle drums in a thrilling percussion duel.
Celebrating his 80 th birthday last year, Glass is now perhaps the most famous of American contemporary composers. In his book Minimalists, K. Robert Schwarz wrote:“ Philip Glass is more than just a composer …. No living composer has sold more recordings and become such a force in a larger cultural arena outside the classical music ghetto. In an age when composers tend to operate on the marginalized fringe of society, Glass is a happy exception, possessing a huge and trendy audience that blends fans of rockand-roll, New Age and classical music.”
Along with Steve Reich and Terry Riley, Glass was one of the founding fathers of the late-20 th-century movement known as“ Minimalism”: that radical riposte to atonality that promoted clear tonal harmonies, hypnotic rhythms and easy-to-assimilate melodies repeated over and over in trancelike, time-suspending patterns. But today, Glass firmly rejects that term as only appropriate for his earliest music; while retaining some of those characteristics, his music today is more lush and much more complex.
The Concerto Fantasy was born after percussionist Jonathan Haas had been begging Glass for a decade to compose a
20 OVERTURE / BSOmusic. org