Steven Mackey's Time Release receives US premiere
(February 2008)
Steven Mackey’s concerto for percussion and orchestra, Time Release, recently received its U.S. (Feb. 7) and New York (Feb. 9) premieres with soloist Colin Currie and the Baltimore Symphony under the baton of Marin Alsop. The title referring to the decay of sound produced by the marimba, Time Release was commissioned by the Eduard van Beinum Stichting at the request of the Residentie Orkest Den Haag, and by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble Orchestral de Paris.
Says Mackey: “Time Release features the marimba but also contains some other instruments that extend the timbral and dynamic palette. I imagine a continuum connecting the ‘plink’ of a wood block to the brittle high notes of the marimba, to the bell like mid range, to the plaintive almglocken to the clanking cowbells. At the farthest remove, the drums place in relief the overarching harmonic and melodic journey.
“Steven Mackey’s Time Release, a concerto composed for percussionist Colin Currie, offered a mesmerizing mélange of sounds and a convincing argument for the marimba as a virtuoso instrument… the marimba lacks a tradition of virtuoso concertos, which means its players are particularly willing to collaborate with composers and composers eager to explore its possibilities. Mackey’s concerto does both.”
Classicalsource.com
“The things that impressed me about Mackey's work on first hearing…impressed me again… myriad instrumental shades, as much from the spotlighted percussion as from the orchestra; infectious flashes of jazzy energy. It's a hefty, serious, often-arresting creation.
Classifying Mackey isn't easy… Maybe "maverick" would describe (him) best… It remains to be heard where Mackey's musical impulses will take him next. But, as Alsop says, ‘There really are no boundaries for him.’"
The Baltimore Sun
Next fall will see the world premiere of Mackey’s new violin concerto. Written for soloist Leila Josefowicz, the work will premiere with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of HK Gruber in Manchester UK on October 24.
> Further information on Work: Time Release
Photo: Alice Arnold
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