Planet Damnation for Percussion Ensemble

General Info

Composer: John Psathas
Arranger: Omar Carmenates
Year of Published: 2016
Publisher: Promethean Editions
Duration: 00:10:00
Cost: $80.00

Instrumentation

Soloist

5 Timpani (20" & 23" & 26" & 29" & 32")

Ensemble

Player 1 : Xylophone & Glockenspiel & Crotales
Player 2 : Vibraphone
Player 3 : Vibraphone
Player 4 : Vibraphone
Player 5 : Marimba
Player 6 : Marimba
Player 7 : Marimba
Player 8 : Marimba
Player 9 : Thunder Sheet & Snare Drum (Piccolo) & Mark Tree & Tambourine & Chime & Hand Cymbals & Triangle
Player 10 : Chimes & Crotales & Finger Cymbals & Triangle & Snare Drum & Tam-tam
Player 11 : Roto-Toms & Snare Drum & Suspended Cymbal & Finger Cymbals & Snare Drum (Piccolo) & Hand Cymbals & Marimba
Player 12 : Orchestral Bass Drum & Thunder Sheet

Descriptions

One of the characteristics of the orchestral version of Planet Damnation that I find so engaging is the superimposition of driving rhythmic figures, particularly in the strings and solo timpani, against sustaining textures that range from lush woodwind chords to brutal brass swells. It became very obvious early in the arranging process that this key ingredient would also be the biggest challenge in translating Planet Damnation to keyboard percussion instruments due to their inherent lack of ability to sustain a note. As percussionists, we often disguise this shortcoming by using a hand-to-hand tremolo, or "roll", to mimic a sustain. While that technique is used extensively in this arrangement, I also tried to expand the palette of sustaining options available by also incorporating bowed vibraphone/crotales or by rewriting longer sustaining textures into thickly layered molto sostenuto 16th-notes in the marimbas. It is my hope that these varieties of techniques augment the already impressive colors that Psathas employs in the orchestral version of this piece.

Works for Percussion by this Composer

4BY4 - Percussion Quartet
Aegean - Percussion Quartet
Corybas - Percussion Quintet
Cloud Folk - Percussion Octet; Piano
Kyoto - Percussion Quintet
Matre's Dance - Percussion Quartet
Planet Damnation for Percussion Ensemble - Timpani; Percussion 12