Michael Gordon's Timber, a commission from Dutch percussion ensemble Slagwerk Den Haag, grew out of a collaboration between the composer and the performers. After Gordon presented his initial concept to the ensemble he and the players decided on using six simantras, an instrument developed by Xenakis that is basically a two-by-four plank, and that decision determined the character and development of the work. The simantras have a sharp, bright attack but are surprisingly resonant, and each generates a variety of overtones. ...
Read More
Michael Gordon's Timber, a commission from Dutch percussion ensemble Slagwerk Den Haag, grew out of a collaboration between the composer and the performers. After Gordon presented his initial concept to the ensemble he and the players decided on using six simantras, an instrument developed by Xenakis that is basically a two-by-four plank, and that decision determined the character and development of the work. The simantras have a sharp, bright attack but are surprisingly resonant, and each generates a variety of overtones. Timber is performed with the instruments arranged in a hexagon, and one of the work's most striking elements is the way the music travels in canonic waves around the circle of players. The stereo recording manages to convey the circularity of the movement beautifully and the sound is crisp and immaculate. The music consists of rhythmic ostinatos that move from player to player and evolve into layers of polyrhythms of dazzling complexity, creating a shimmering, magical web of sound....
Read Less
