eöl
for percussion and chamber ensemble
eöl is a piece for a newly built collection of small percussion instruments surrounded by a chamber ensemble of clarinet, saxophone, accordion, cello and double bass.
The collection of percussion instruments is based around the melding of different metals to create unusual timbres and resonances. These include metallic arm and hand pieces that the percussionist simultaneously wears and plays, and a metallic table instrument with rods that detach on to the percussionist’s fingers.
eöl alludes both to the concept of the “Aeolian,” music produced by nature without human intervention, and to the type of sonic weaving that is borne from the ensemble playing, which leads to the formation of the percussionist’s metallic hands.
The piece was commissioned by Music At The Anthology, Inc. for the 2015 MATA Festival of New Music, and the percussion instruments were built by Dublin sculptor Brian Byrne: https://www.brianbyrneart.com
Watch a video of the piece, performed by Alex Lipowski and Talea Ensemble:
Listen to the piece, performed by Alex Lipowski and Talea Ensemble, broa
dcast by WQXR: https://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/new-york-now-talea-ensemble-closes-2015-mata-festival/
Look at an excerpt from the score: eol_score_excerpt