Whistle from Above
is a work of experimental music theater. Actors as much as
percussionists, the two performers negotiate a
complicated terrain of technology all the while being prompted and
provoked by forces outside their own control. This new piece will
be performed early in the new year by Russell Greenberg and Ian
Antonio's percussion duo "Hunter/Gatherer".
The work takes its title from
a stage direction in Samuel Beckett's "Act Without Words".
The bulk of the composition is structured as a series of
duos between the percussionists. These duos, nicknamed "Whistle
Stops", explore the instrumental gamut of the work as well as begin to
define the theatrical roles of the players and the electronics.
- Whistle Stop I (for 2 slit drums)
- Whistle Stop II (for 2 snare drums)
- Whistle Stop III (for 6 woodblocks)
- Whistle Stop IV (for 2 snare drums and handheld bells)
- Whistle Stop V (for robotic instruments)
The Whistle Stops are surrounded by interludes of varying
lengths that make the movement between setups part of the theatrical
language of the piece.
Computer sound is used for the creation of the interludes, background
for the Whistle Stops, and for characteristic spoken elements - the
“Voice of God” (VOG) - taken from the works of Samuel Beckett.
