The Game of the Century by C. Snow pits two percussionists against each other in a re-imagining of the famous chess match between Donald Byrne and 13-year-old Bobby Fischer back in 1956. This piece is highly dramatic, totally unexpected, and really, really clever.
The players actually play a game of chess against each other, so you'll need a real chess board and pieces as well as a chess clock with ticks that are audible to the audience (or you can cheat a little with a synced metronome).
Pieces are moved and captured exactly as they were in that 1956 game, in rhythms that roughly approximate the flow of the historical match. Lots of performance notes help you figure out how to pull off this entertaining work.
It's ok if you don't know how to play chess to perform this piece, but there's no better excuse to learn about the game than through music! You'll even learn how to read chess notation. It's highly recommended that players feel comfortable with theatrics to perform this piece well.
Difficulty: Medium
Duration: 2:30
Instrumentation:
- Chess Board and Pieces, Chess Clock
- Table and Chairs
- Ticking Analog Clock, Loud Metronome (Optional)
This piece comes with a score in a professionally-bound fo(more...)
