An Ocean, Electric

Percussion Ensemble  10’47”  2020

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Instrumentation

Percussion 1:
Glockenspiel
Vibraphone
Crash Cymbals

Percussion 2:
Vibraphone
Glockenspiel

Percussion 3:
Xylophone
Suspended China Cymbal
Triangle
Bass Drum
Glockenspiel

Percussion 4:
Hi-Hat
Tam-Tam
Suspended Cymbal
Piccolo Snare Drum
Regular Snare Drum

Percussion 5:
Concert Bass Drum
Ride Cymbal
Suspended Cymbal

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Program Notes

"An Ocean, Electric" is a work written for percussion ensemble with electronics, which explores the blending of audio design and live musical performance via the depiction of a vibrant ocean, teeming with life both in the shallows and the depths.

The piece consists of a single movement divided into three sections:

Warm Waters

Beginning our journey, we dive just beneath the waves. Seahorses hide amongst the shoal grass as we watch schools of fish dance between the beams of light penetrating the ocean’s surface. In the distance, a young whale breaches before crashing back into the ocean with an immense splash.

Whale Fall

Meanwhile, an entirely different ecosystem has developed from the remains of an ill-fated whale on the sea floor. Crabs, octopi, sea worms, and other scavengers slowly converge upon the carcass, and extract energy from the soft-tissues, leaving little more than bones.

Bioluminescence

Here among the oceanic trenches, where the light of the sun can hardly reach, we find ourselves floating in the calm abyss. The only light that exists here comes from the marine life itself, and the colourful glow shines like neon amid the colossal emptiness.

Arriving back at our starting point, I hope you might reflect upon your journey and recall an ocean, electric.

World Premiere:
Unley Concert Band
Percussion Ensemble
Sunday 7 February 2021

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