The playful, enigmatic second movement of Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in F has been very nicely arranged for percussion septet by Stephen Primatic. The original features heavy use of the pizzicato string technique, which is emulated very nicely on marimbas and xylophone.
Long melodic lines are usually left to the metal instruments, resulting in a pleasing and entertaining ensemble that is one of the most popular selections in the string quartet library for a reason! Ravel's chromatic impressionism is just as inviting on keyboards as it is on strings.
No self-respecting percussion group would go without a few classical arrangements here and there, and this is a valuable addition to the list!
Instrumentation:
- Player 1: Bells
- Player 2: Xylophone
- Player 3: Vibraphone
- Player 4: 5-Octave Marimba (Shared)
- Player 5: 4-Octave Marimba
- Player 6: 4-Octave Marimba
- Player 7: 5-Octave Marimba (Shared)
Difficulty: Advanced
Duration: 6:15
This ensemble includes a full score and a CD with all of the individual parts and an MP3 recording.
