World Premiere Concert
Sanctuary, Roger Reynolds
The complete and expanded percussion piece Sanctuary, by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Roger Reynolds, will make its world premiere at the National Gallery of Art. Sanctuary will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition Let the World In: ... Read more
World Premiere Concert
Sanctuary, Roger Reynolds
The complete and expanded percussion piece Sanctuary, by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Roger Reynolds, will make its world premiere at the National Gallery of Art. Sanctuary will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections.
Just as Rauschenberg challenged fixed assumptions regarding the nature of art through his experimentation and collaborations, Reynolds in Sanctuary reframes percussion performance as a tool for extending sonic color and distributing sounds in a multi-channel space. His work is informed by theater, dance, video, and perceptual psychology.
Performed by “red fish blue fish,” the resident percussion ensemble at the University of California, San Diego, Sanctuary contains three movements and features four percussionists, assisted by real-time computer processing written specifically for the composition. Using the inherent theatricality of playing percussion, the performance also incorporates gesture, movement, and lighting to create an experience that is both aural and visual. The percussionists act as members of a quartet, combining each player’s contribution into the larger piece in a call-and-response pattern.
