CONCERTO FANTASY FOR TWO TIMPANISTS / IMPRESSIONIST MASTERWORKS
Wild Asses Question ; have you ever dealt with pure insanity ?
Well a wild ass makes most horses think twice about keeping them in the family . Movements are swift but the best defense is power , these jackasses reach speeds of 43 miles an hour . Light gray , slender and rarely at a local zoo , their blaring heehaws can sound kind of musical …
Tortoises A tortoise is low to the ground with a rock solid build , protection from a predator with a shell like a knight ’ s shield . Moving at a speed that needs no interpretation , if you ’ re thinking fast you won ’ t last it ’ s more of nailbiting frustration .
The Elephant I ’ ll tell you what size matters when coming face-to-face with this robust animal one of a kind the world ’ s biggest be-hind for a mammal . With tusks like the handles on a speedster and ears the size of two stereo speakers . Each step feeling like the ground could shake , maybe split or even break … is it possible an elephant can cause a minor earthquake ?
Kangaroos The kangaroo is fast , energetic , small or even big , each hop is like the pogo stick I remember as a kid ! Keeping your head on a swivel is a critical decision , did I mention a mob of kangaroos is a problematic position ?
Aquarium The aquarium is a magical land of fish making a big splash ; Sherlock Holmes would call it the world ’ s biggest magnifying glass . Zoom in to this transparent dwelling , plants and sea creatures a feature too compelling … the fins of a fish make a swish like its propelling .
People with Long Ears A critic is full of opinions they wish were the law , but all the yapping might leave you appalled so no applause … yeah you heard it I ’ m giving you just cause …
The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Forest A consistent whistle , flute or a hiccup will keep you on your toes who knows the cuckoo might say “ whatsup ” before he rolls ! Whether you hear ’ em in the morning or chilling on the late night they ’ re out of sight singing something that sounds like good advice …
Aviary A tantalizing display with an array of bird species , believe me the amount you gotta count just isn ’ t that easy . You got parrots making jokes , crows are singing notes while the skylarks and the seagulls want mates to elope . Chirp , squawk and howl are the sounds that never end , but this aviary has a mix that a DJ could blend …
Pianists Black and white keys lend a cadence to singers while the pianists are musical magicians with magical fingers . Though pianos are rare for movements involving Bach a great piano player is skilled at jazz , blues and rock …
Fossils Animals of years past have ended their journey , with one final stop at the nearest taxidermy . Fossils of dinosaurs , bears , birds and monsters unexplained can remain in museums with a short span of fame . Guests beware if you visit late at night the bones of these creatures will come back to life …
The Swan Full of grace the swan swims while sitting down the queen of the pond needs a king to wear the crown . With necks stretching like a NASA rover , they stay up in your business so watch over your shoulder …
Finale Everybody hold on and relax the curtain hasn ’ t closed yet , this grand finale is big anyone wanna take bets ? A full ensemble will bring the carnival full circle ; Saint-Saëns would be surprised his musical went universal … still , the BSO has shown some miraculous features , instruments were animals and
Marin conducted the creatures . A final farewell from these carnival rides when you exit please smile and spread some positive vibes !
Instrumentation : Flute including piccolo , clarinet , percussion and strings .
CONCERTO FANTASY FOR TWO TIMPANISTS
Philip Glass
Born in Baltimore , MD , January 31 , 1937 ; now living in New York City , NY
In the past decade , we ’ ve heard some stunning new concertos here that showcase a percussionist as the soloist . Philip Glass ’ Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists from 2000 ratchets the energy generated by these concertos several degrees higher by featuring not one , but two timpanists , working at arrays of roughly a dozen kettle drums in a thrilling percussion duel .
Celebrating his 80 th birthday last year , Glass is now perhaps the most famous of American contemporary composers . In his book Minimalists , K . Robert Schwarz wrote : “ Philip Glass is more than just a composer …. No living composer has sold more recordings and become such a force in a larger cultural arena outside the classical music ghetto . In an age when composers tend to operate on the marginalized fringe of society , Glass is a happy exception , possessing a huge and trendy audience that blends fans of rockand-roll , New Age and classical music .”
Along with Steve Reich and Terry Riley , Glass was one of the founding fathers of the late-20 th -century movement known as “ Minimalism ”: that radical riposte to atonality that promoted clear tonal harmonies , hypnotic rhythms and easy-to-assimilate melodies repeated over and over in trancelike , time-suspending patterns . But today , Glass firmly rejects that term as only appropriate for his earliest music ; while retaining some of those characteristics , his music today is more lush and much more complex .
The Concerto Fantasy was born after percussionist Jonathan Haas had been begging Glass for a decade to compose a
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