Marimba Concerto: After Hampton

• Date: 1992
• Composer: Libby Larsen
• Period: Contemporary (1950- )

Review

During the twentieth century the marimba emerged as the most important melody instrument of the percussion section. Of a substantial number of concerted works for marimba and orchestra, this concerto by the American composer Libby Larsen (b. 1950) is one of the best and most accessible.

The Marimba Concerto: After Hampton was written for percussionist William Moersch, who gave its premiere with the Long Beach (California) Symphony Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta conducting, on October 24, 1992.

The title is a reference to the great jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton (b. 1908). Larsen credits him for establishing in our culture that mallet instruments can be "a vehicle for principal musical material." The concerto also takes notice of an increasing tendency to break down a hierarch of musical types, so a listener can "move from Bach to James Brown, from Bob Marley to Mozart, from Patsy Cline to Schubert freely, with democratic ears and no hierarchical preference." In addition, wondering if listeners now demand more visual interest, Larsen gives the audience something to look at in the final movement.

The first movement's expression markings are "Allegro/Cross-Rhythms/Allegro Assai/Pass the Plate." The structure of the movement considers a traditional manner of constructing a solo concerto, which is casting the soloist and the orchestra as equals, contending with each other and/or sharing material as if allies. The "cross-rhythms" of the title are both literal cross-rhythms (i.e., separate rhythmic patterns in different voices that play at the same time -- an important structural element of this movement) and rhythms that constantly cross between the marimba and voices and choirs from the orchestra. These create the impression that soloist and orchestra members are challenging each other to take up the patterns.

There is a more sustained and lyrical section in the center of the movement. Then the soloist and the orchestra take the idea of the cross-rhythm challenge to the old jazz game of "pass the plate," where a quick short musical idea rapidly runs through several players to see who is the first to make a mistake.

The second movement, "Slowly, in muted colors," explores what it means for the marimba to be a "principal melody instrument," which requires the player to use tremolando techniques (the instrument's only way to create the effect of sustained tones). It is a peaceful, autumnal statement.

In the finale, "Raucous/Full Turning/Constant Billy: Setting the Beans/Finale," Larsen explores both the visual issue and the democratization of music. The movement explores the marimba in its prevalent role in non-Western music as an ensemble instrument. This idea calls for the orchestra's percussionists to move to positions in front of the orchestra and create a kind of concertante -- the solo group in a Baroque concerto grosso -- with the marimba which imitates drum ensembles, Morris dance, and Polynesian stick dancing. Larsen adapts the "corporeality" idea of Harry Partch by directing how the percussionists move and interact visually in addition to providing notes for them to play. ~ Joseph Stevenson, Rovi

Albums with Complete Performances of the Work

Title	Date
Libby Larsen: Deep Summer Music; Solo Symphony; Marimba Concerto After Hampton	2001

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