Night Chill (2004)
Christien Ledroit
PUBLISHER: Canadian Music Centre
RECORDINGS: Night Chill, Catherine Meunier (Centrediscs)
RANGE: 5.0 octaves
DURATION: 11:00
MOVEMENTS: Single movement
TYPE OF ACCOMPANIMENT: Fixed
MUSICAL OVERVIEW: The tape and marimba are equally important. The parts interact quite freely with each other. Timings are included in the score to provide a general alignment to the parts, but the work does not require the two to maintain a perfect alignment. Even within active rhythmic sections, the performer is free to keep a general synchronicity with the tape, following along to harmonic changes. The performer is free to repeat, improvise, and delete material as they follow the tape.
ACCOMPANIMENT OVERVIEW: Synthesized sounds and sampled sounds with effects processing. The sounds explore various textures and timbres, a similar approach to the marimba writing. The tape contains contemporary sounds using modern processing techniques. The tape functions in several ways and may expand on the sound of the marimba, imitate or antagonize the marimba, or provide a backdrop for the marimba.
TECHNIQUE OVERVIEW: SI, SIA, DV, and DL. There is mostly a single-line style approach to the marimba part coupled with four-mallet block chords, which keeps the hands close together. Two brief passages require the performer to have a large spread between the hands and execute two independent lines.