Three Galaxies

Rainer Kuisma

General Info

Year: 1990
Duration: c.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Publisher: Edition Svitzer
Cost: €45.00

Instrumentation

Player 1: 3 Tam-Tams (64,40 and 25 cm)
Player 2: 1 Tam-Tam (71 cm) & Large Suspendad Cymbal & Little Bells on a String
Player 3: Tubular Bells
Player 4: 1 Tam Tam (100 cm) & Bass Drum
Player 5: 1 Tam-Tam (50 cm) & Large Suspended Cymbal & Metal Wind Chimes
Player 6: 2 Tam-Tams (120 and 30 cm)

Program Notes

In April 1990 SON gave a concert in Hedvig’s Church in Norrköping with Franz Welser-Möst as conductor in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Unannounced they also performed Kuisma’s Three Galaxies, which was very well received, and since then listeners have requested this piece. Three Galaxies has been performed yet a couple of times, for instance in London by Welser-Möst, when he was principle conductor of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It was also performed at the celebrations for Kuisma’s 90th birthday at the Royal Academy in Stockholm under the baton of Joakin Anterot and also in Norrköping by SON’s present percussionists: Anders Dahlstedt, Lars Gärd, Martin Orraryd and Petter Svensson. Rainer Kuisma died a year later, at the age of 91.

On January 20, 1988, a very beautiful day, Kuisma had an idea while he was free from his obligations leading a percussion master class in Räyskälä, Finland. And before evening he had composed Three Galaxies. He actually wrote the piece on top of another work, since he had no blank sheet of music paper.The premiere took place the very next day!

Three Galaxies is played by three groups of players, heading in different directions. The magic number of 7 is essential: 7 tam-tams are needed, and the piece has 49 bars. Andante religioso is the initial character, unfolding in a vast space, densifying more and more and finally collapsing at the pinnacle. The epilogue simply dies away…

Recent Performances

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Works for Percussion by this Composer

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