Sparkle

Work Overview

Commission: Ensemble For These Times
Instrumentation: solo percussion
Premiere: June 3, 2023, E4TT performance by Haruka Fujii, percussion.
Duration: approx. 3 minutes
Supported by grants from the San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, and the California Arts Council, a state agency.

Program Note

Sparkle is the companion piece to “Shimmer,” and it continues the exploration of everyday objects as musical instruments. The beauty of porcelain bowls is highlighted, and to complement that, Sparkle features the low instrument of a kick drum and lower metal everyday objects to act as a foil to the high porcelain sparkling notes. The part is quite virtuosic, as the passages set off a flurry of notes in the opening and closing sections. The middle section offers some respite, as interlocking patterns between the found objects offer respite, and even imply melodic patterns interwoven together.