Premiered by the Los Angeles chamber Orchestra Prisms, Cycles, Leaps is an orchestral piece that bridges the space between the music of the Balkans, the Volta Region of Ghana and North Indian Hindustani classical music. The time signature of the piece is in a foundational 3/2, but shifts its emphasis to 6/4, 12/8, and 7/8 +5/8 in different sections by using polyrhythmic ostinatos that are found in Ghanaian religious drum ceremonies. The melodic lines of Prisms, Cycles, Leaps combine elements of Balkan music and Hindustani classical music. While the melodic lines use an ornamentation specific to Bulgarian women’s choir music (similar to accaciaturas found in Baroque music), the larger form of the melodic lines resembles the tihai rhythmic cadence and the long phrases found in improvised Hindustani classical music. Tihai is a thrice-repeated rhythmic phrase that is used to end a section or conclude a piece in Hindustani classical music. The title Prisms, Cycles, Leaps references a search for beauty in life and nature through multiple and varied yet cyclical experiences.
Part I
Prisms, Cycles, Leaps
14′
Flute I, II / Piccolo
Oboe I
English Horn
Bb Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Bassoon I
Contrabassoon / Bassoon II
F-Horn I, II
Bb Trumpet I / Bb Piccolo Trumpet
Bb Trumpet II / Bb Piccolo Trumpet
Trombone I
Trombone II
Timpani (set up with second snare drum nearby)
Tubular Bells
Mallets (Marimba + Vibraphone + Xylophone + Bowed Crotales)
Snare Drum
Roto Toms + Floor Tom
Percussion (Bass Drum + Suspended Cymbal 20’’ + Tam Tam + Tambourine on a stand)
Harp
Piano
Five-String Electric Bass with sustain pedal
Violin I 8-12
Violin II 8-12
Viola 6 -7
Violoncello 6
Double Bass 2
Part II
From Here A Path
11′
Flute/Piccolo I, II
Violin I 4-6
Violin II 4-6
Viola 3-5
Cello 2-4
5 String Electric Bass Harp
Piano
Goblet Drum (Darabuka preferred, or Doumbek)
Marimba, Bowed Vibraphone
Percussion I: Cabasa, Suspended Cymbals
Percussion II: Cajón (without snare), Closed Hi-Hat
Percussion III: Clapping Wood Blocks