Bobby Previte’s TERMINALS Bobby Previte’s TERMINALS

TERMINALS, PART I: DEPARTURES, composed by Bobby Previte, is a thrilling and prolific meeting of the classical and the improvised worlds. The evening-length piece premierèd at Merkin Hall, New York City on March 28, 2011 as a joint production of WNYC/John Schaefer’s “New Sounds Live” and The Ecstatic Festival. TERMINALS featured SO PERCUSSION and soloists John Medeski, Zeena Parkins, DJ Olive, Jen Shyu, and the composer. The piece has also been performed by SO PERCUSSION at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston, and by STUDIO PERCUSSION GRAZ on tour in Austria and Hungary. In November 2013 TERMINALS will make its French debut with LES PERCUSSIONS DE STRASBOURG.
 
TERMINALS exists in two iterations: the concerto version and the percussion ensemble version (without soloists). The concerto version consists of five separate pieces for four percussionists and soloist: one each for harp/guitar, voice, turntables/electronics, drum set, and piano/organ. Pitting the precise percussion ensemble against the uncontrollable improviser, the inherent paradox in the concerto form is dramatically heightened in an attempt to reconcile the ever-fascinating comic book conundrum: What happens when an irresistible force meets an immoveable object? The percussion-only version, also in five separate cycles, is a perfect vehicle for students as it requires not only exacting reading and execution, but also provides explorations into improvisation, ensemble feel, and theatrical presence.
 
The complete 90-minute piece places standard orchestral percussion instruments (timpani, snare drum, triangle) alongside those that were codified into 20th Century percussion literature (brake drums, anvils, almglocken), regional instruments highly associated with folk music (cuica, spoons, talking drum, timbales), electronic percussion (drum machine), and other unclassifiable elements (bullwhip), to fashion a indelible landscape.
 
Bobby Previte Official Site

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