Exposé
William Susman
About this work:
The first performance was conducted by Anthony Cirone in April 30, 1990 at a San Jose State percussion ensemble concert.
The score calls for 2 violins, 2 marimbas, and piano. At the first performance, Anthony Cirone used 2 xylophones in place of the violins in a very effective interpretation.
Much of the rhythmic structure and melodic material are taken from fibonacci numbers as in Susman's earlier works such as "Twisted Figures". His obsession with upward pitch motion is further exemplified in this work and is a continuation of his studies of "Shepard tones" (the acoustic illusion of pitch rising forever).
Exposé (1989) along with Floating Falling (1987) Twisted Figures (1988) and Uprising (1988) begin to explore repetitive rhythms. These works look forward to his montuno / Afro-Cuban influenced music of the 90s and away from an older Eurocentric aesthetic.
Year composed: 1989
Duration: 00:08:30
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 2 Marimba, 1 Piano, 2 Violin
Instrumentation notes: For the first performance 2 xylophones were used in place of the violins in order to fit with a percussion ensemble.