"(Percussive Notes, July 2016)
According to the composer’s program notes, “Langwana is a forgotten tropical island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.” This piece is an “ancient ritual, a sacrifice to the god Langwa.” Given the flexibility of a destroyed mythical culture, Krisztián Budai is free to gather ethnic percussion instruments from diverse influences, merge them together, and create an engaging and accessible work for nonpitched percussion quintet.
Set at a moderate tempo, Budai primarily uses common eighth- and sixteenth-note figures, but sets them in a variety of time signatures including 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, and 6/8, quite effectively blurring the pulse and phrase structure to make the work sound more rhythmically complex. The frequent use of syncopation and cross-rhythms (particularly in sets of dotted eighth-notes) also creates both some rhythmic interest for listeners and a bit of a pedagogically beneficial challenge for performers. Opening with a call from the congas and response from the rest of the ensemble, “Langwana” quickly settles into four-bar phrases of ensemble groove. The texture varies occasionally as different instruments are given brief exposed passages, and Budai includes clear dynamics to highlight primary voices for performers. Most of the instruments are played with hands, but a timpani mallet, bundle stick, and sorghum brush (like a small broom) are also called for.
Rather than create a work derived from a specific geographic region or percussion instrument collection, “Langwana” highlights the similarities and unified potential of these varied cultures and instruments. In this way, Budai successfully created an excellent work for high school percussion ensembles that can be programmed for its pedagogical and entertainment value.
—Josh Gottry"
According to the composer’s program notes, “Langwana is a forgotten tropical island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.” This piece is an “ancient ritual, a sacrifice to the god Langwa.” Given the flexibility of a destroyed mythical culture, Krisztián Budai is free to gather ethnic percussion instruments from diverse influences, merge them together, and create an engaging and accessible work for nonpitched percussion quintet.
Set at a moderate tempo, Budai primarily uses common eighth- and sixteenth-note figures, but sets them in a variety of time signatures including 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, and 6/8, quite effectively blurring the pulse and phrase structure to make the work sound more rhythmically complex. The frequent use of syncopation and cross-rhythms (particularly in sets of dotted eighth-notes) also creates both some rhythmic interest for listeners and a bit of a pedagogically beneficial challenge for performers. Opening with a call from the congas and response from the rest of the ensemble, “Langwana” quickly settles into four-bar phrases of ensemble groove. The texture varies occasionally as different instruments are given brief exposed passages, and Budai includes clear dynamics to highlight primary voices for performers. Most of the instruments are played with hands, but a timpani mallet, bundle stick, and sorghum brush (like a small broom) are also called for.
Rather than create a work derived from a specific geographic region or percussion instrument collection, “Langwana” highlights the similarities and unified potential of these varied cultures and instruments. In this way, Budai successfully created an excellent work for high school percussion ensembles that can be programmed for its pedagogical and entertainment value.
—Josh Gottry"
A Review menüpont alatt olvashatod az elemzést:
http://www.editionsvitzer.com/catalog/langwana/c-23/p-251
http://www.editionsvitzer.com/catalog/langwana/c-23/p-251
