Williams Percussion Ensemble To Perform “Same As It Ever Wasâ€
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Williams College Department of Music presents the Williams Percussion Ensemble on Friday, April 17, at 8 p.m. in Chapin Hall on the Williams College campus. This free event is open to the public.The Williams Percussion Ensemble presents of concert of new and groundbreaking works for percussion that explore the perception of space and time. Julia Wolfe’s Dark Full Ride for four drum sets is a propulsive rhythmic journey that ranges from precise synchronization to all out cacophony. Drew Krause’s Ding atomizes the drum set and divides it among multiple players, and features Brian Simalchik, ’10, as the piano soloist.
Drawing on music from major composers of the twentieth-century, the program includes Alfred Schnittke’s ethereal Quartet for Percussion and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s landmark Kreuzspiel, for three percussionists, piano, and amplified oboe and bass clarinet. The Percussion Ensemble will also present the premiere of a new work for percussion and electronics by Julian Mesri, ’09, and a virtual realization of György Ligeti’s Poème Symphonique for 100 metronomes.
Employing a nearly limitless battery of percussion instruments, the Williams Percussion Ensemble explores cutting edge new music, masterworks of the second half of the twentieth century, experimental music, and music from around the globe. Performances feature the use of all manner of percussion instruments as well as homemade objects, found sounds, and electronics.
In addition to music for percussion alone, the group presents works for mixed ensembles and new and experimental music for other instruments, and has often worked directly with composers. The ensemble also collaborates with artists in other media, especially visual, in order to explore the connections between different types of sound, form, image, and movement.
