Island Music (2003)

Written for two solo marimba players against a small four-player ensemble, ISLAND MUSIC was begun as a "diversion" while working on other, larger pieces. Bali has long been an escape for the conductor-composer, and the inspiration comes from his happy, relaxed feelings when vacationing there. The work is cast in a large three-part Rondo form, with alternating episodes of more anxious and darker moments interrupting the bucolic island idyll. Dedicated to the late Lou Harrison, ISLAND MUSIC reflects some of the older composer's influence in its pentatonic writing and gamelan style. The Balinese influence comes through vividly...The two marimba soloists exchange a buoyant main theme that returns in various guises, and there is much ingenious rhythmic writing and an exhilarating finale.