re: Impressions (Perc Ens 7)

re: Impressions is a groovy percussion septet for 5 keyboards, drum set, and 1 multi-percussionist that is influenced instruments, styles, and sounds that feel most "at home" with the composer.

Genre: Percussion Ensemble | # of Players: 7
Series:
Level: Medium Advanced | Duration: 6:20

Instrumentation
Conductor's Score (8.5"x11" stapled booklet)

Bells
Vibraphone 1
Vibraphone 2
Marimba 1 (4.3-octave; optional 5-octave)
Marimba 2 (5-octave)
Drum Set: Snare, Kick, Hi-Hat, Ride, Crash
Multi-Percussion: Bongos, Conga, Floor Tom, Suspended Cymbal

Program Notes
Premiered by the 2022-2023 University of Texas Percussion Ensemble, re: Impressions is a calling back to the instruments, styles, and sounds that feel the most at home with me. As an artist and educator, I’ve been pulled in many directions with my over-thinking brain on what I think I should be doing. As a result, I frequently feel conflicted with what the right artistic path is.

My composition career started out as a discovery of my own internal feelings and conflicts, but quickly turned to commercial composition for others. Instead of writing these parts for specific individuals in mind like I usually do, I attempted to imagine myself playing each part and how I would want it to feel, sound, and contribute to an overall product. Having started my musical life on drum set, artists like Mark Guiliana have had an enormous amount of influence on me.

Since this is the first percussion ensemble piece I had written, I attempted to get back to the original me instead of trying to please anybody else, and trusting that, and every other influence I’ve had in my life since the beginning.

– R.M.