Blue Identity

Wu She-e

General Info

Release Date: 2019
Publisher: Tapspace
Level: Advanced
Duration: 00:08:00
Cost: $42.00

Instrumentation

Soloist: Marimba
Ensemble Player 1: Chimes & Timpani & Low Tom-tom & Splash Cymbal & Suspended Cymbal & Tam-tam
Ensemble Player 2: Crotales & Medium-Low Tom-tom & Bongos & Suspended Cymbal & Tam-tam & Triangle
Ensemble Player 3: Vibraphone & Medium-High Tom-tom & Djembe & Suspended Cymbal
Ensemble Player 4: Glockenspiel & Crotales & High Tom-tom & Concert Bass Drum & China Cymbal

Description

International soloist and percussion educator She-e Wu composed Blue Identity for the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris and its director Frédéric Macarez. Scored for a marimba soloist with four percussionists, it provides a virtuosic vehicle for advanced players to showcase technical dexterity in a dramatic musical setting. After premiering in Paris in 2002, it received its U.S. premiere at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). This ensemble version of Blue Identity was recorded in 2017 in Kangasala, Finland, and is on the album "HITS" with Osuma Percussion Group and She-e Wu on Alba Records, released in 2018.

Review

Joshua D. Smith's Writing Inspired by the action movie The Bourne Identity, this eight-minute marimba feature is reminiscent of marching arts front ensemble writing in that there is no memorable melodic material, but rather it is made up of moods, atmospheres, and rhythmic environments. There is a great deal of interplay between the marimba soloist and the percussion quartet, both on a small scale (rhythmic reinforcement and punctuations) and on a large scale (percussive interludes between marimba sections).

The marimba player must be confident with multiple connected permutations, as this makes up the bulk of the composition. There are sections with expressive chorale moments, but the majority of the piece relies on rhythmic and permutated treatments of chordal areas and progressions. There is a difference in difficulty level when comparing the marimba part to the other four parts, which are certainly lower in rhythmic and technique requirements.