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Xylophonic
2016

piccolo
2 flutes
2 oboes
english horn
2 clarinets in Bb
clarinet in Eb
3 bassoons
4 horns
3 trumpets
3 trombones
tuba
timpani
3 percussion
  1: bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, 3 woodblocks
  2: xylophone (instrument shared with percussion 3)
  3: 3 temple blocks, xylophone (instrument shared with percussion 2)
2 harps
strings

duration 5'

first performance:
The New England Philharmonic, cond. Richard Pittman
Tsai Performance Center, Boston / October 29, 2016

RECORDING—first performance
SCORE

PROGRAM NOTE
Xylophonic is a rambunctious thankyou in celebration of the 40th season of the New England Philharmonic; an orchestra and music director that I have benefitted from as a composer enormously over a good number of years.

'Xylophonic' simply because it features the xylophone a lot – often with two players on the one instrument simultaneously – but also because it's a punchy, driven, slightly unhinged little piece . . rather like the character of the xylophone itself. It works by alternating little descending figures and then overlapping them closer and closer together. This is followed by 'pulsing' music and by 'funfair', wobbly waltz-music. This all happens twice, leading through a slower build-up to a more stately almost-ending followed by a few last measures of punchiness . . and more xylophone.

All of this happens pretty quickly – it's a concert-opener and needs to get out of the way so the real program can begin!