From Artist to Concert Goer and Bach to Ishii: Making Connections.

Medium

11/21/15, 7:23 PM

From Artist to Concert Goer and Bach to Ishii: Making Connections.

From Artist to Concert Goer and Bach to Ishii: Making Connections.
Thomas Burritt at PASIC 2015
For the past several years, in my solo performing and university percussion ensemble
concerts, Ive been trying to refresh the idea of a traditional concert or recital with the
main goal of changing and improving the concert going experience. While this certainly
isnt an original idea I think the concert going public is seeking a different experience from
the concert hall these days. If this is true what kinds of new things could a concert goer
be looking for?
One thing could be access to the artist. With Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and
something like Periscope (live streaming), there are so many great ways to connect to
your audience. Think back a bit to how much you wanted to see deleted scenes or
extended footage on DVDs from your favorite movies. If you read on youll see there is a
lot going into my preparation for this concert and if you want to know the details it will
surely enhance your experience in November. So, leading up to the show, Ill be posting
regular content via these channels for those who want to see a bit behind the scenes. Im
hoping that these efforts will enhance the concert experience for many who plan to
attend.
Of the many things Ill be addressing as we get closer to November is the programming
for the concert. For those of you who may have seen the University of Texas Percussion
Ensemble concert at PASIC 2012 in Austin, you may remember that we programmed a
non-stop 50 minute presentation that explored many different styles within the
percussion ensemble genre. It had an arch structure, almost liturgical in nature, beginning
stark and introspective, building in energy and ending calmly. It included larger works,
chamber works, a solo cello, and a chamber choir. The goal was to explore how a group of
highly differentiated works could somehow come together to form a comprehensive
whole. The logistics seemed unsurmountable but were solved for the audiences sake
mainly (how do you play 6 different pieces without pausing for set up?).
Then, I applied similar ideas to an emotionally charged program I would later figure out
was influenced by the health struggle and eventual passing of my father in the fall of
2012. The summer before his death, I performed several concerts (one in which he was
https://medium.com/@tburritt/from-artist-to-concert-goer-and-bach-to-ishii-making-connections-8af57af9177c#.gvdrc6hf7

Page 1 of 4

From Artist to Concert Goer and Bach to Ishii: Making Connections. Medium

11/21/15, 7:23 PM

present) that once started didnt pause. Sure, to most it would seem a bad idea to play
solo marimba for 3540 minutes non-stop, but at the time it seemed somehow exactly the
right thing to do. The initial goal, which was to change things up for the benefit of the
audience by allowing them to make connections between works rather than
disconnections (one piece at a time separated by applause) was reached, but I realized
that it seemed somehow more meaningful for me as the performer as well, allowing me to
communicate something more profound as the arch would progress and then finish. As I
reflected on what I learned from each of these experiments I discovered the following:
These programs had aspects of symmetry and form, much like a composer would design
compositional form (a whole concert formalized).
When selecting which works to program I chose based on how each piece, in its own way,
could contribute to a larger theme or direction within a full concert. I found certain pieces
would present themselves to me, meaning, I would discover a work via a students
lesson, or a YouTube video, and it would soon become obvious it was a good fit for a
certain portion of the program. I liked how this process took my biases and preferences a
bit more out of the selection process.
Another goal was to consider using a wide variety of genres with the aim of all them
contributing in similar ways to a unified whole (tonal/atonal, Japanese/American,
percussion chamber/percussion orchestra, etc.). In a musical society where we have so
deliberately defined genres this process challenges the sometimes derogatory
connotations often associated with certain styles of music and their quality. This goal
supports the idea that quality music exists in all genres and isnt therefore tied directly to
a compositional period, ideology, process, or style.
As I look to program the 2015 PASIC solo marimba showcase concert Im taking all these
ideas into consideration. While I havent finalized everything yet, Im certain Ill perform
Bachs Suite for Solo Cello No. 5 in C Minor, and Maki Ishiis important Concertante
(1988). Im currently fascinated to explore how, as different as these two works are, they
can contribute equally to the concert as a whole. To complete the program Im seeking
one more shorter work to help glue things together which Im hoping will present itself to
me soon! Leaving as many options open as possible all I can say at this time is that it
wont be Bach or Japanese, and likely something quite opposite! Ultimately, my goal is to
create something meaningful for the audience, even if it stretches me in new and
challenging ways. Be sure to follow my updates to see how things develop.
https://medium.com/@tburritt/from-artist-to-concert-goer-and-bach-to-ishii-making-connections-8af57af9177c#.gvdrc6hf7

Page 2 of 4

From Artist to Concert Goer and Bach to Ishii: Making Connections. Medium

11/21/15, 7:23 PM

Why Bach and Ishii? The 5th Suite, of all the cello suites, is undoubtedly the most
mysterious and unusual. Written most likely between 17171723, we dont know which
version came first; the scordatura version (the A-string tuned down the G) or the lute
version. The Prelude, unusual in several ways begins slowly, a clear stark announcement
and introduction. Then, suddenly a fugal faster section begins, a form not seen in other
suite preludes. Its most famous movement is the Sarabande. Rostropovich described it as
the essence of Bachs genius, Tortelier as an extension of silence, and Yo-Yo Ma
played this movement on September 11th, 2002 at the site of the World Trade Center,
while the first of the names of the dead were read in remembrance of the first anniversary
of the attack.
In an unintended stroke of good timing I recently recorded the entire suite in video/audio
form. Ive made available a full video performance below and on my YouTube channel:
www.YouTube.com/tburritt1971. In preparation for the concert (and surely if you cant
make it!) I invite you to watch. If youre able to youll notice some unusual stickings. When
choosing stickings, articulation was the main consideration, much like a cellist would
consider bowings as it relates to articulation and phrasing. All mallets were considered
equal and certain stickings were chosen to consistently indicate motives, metrical
emphasis, slurs, and the flow of scalar passages. These decisions became the framework
in which the whole performance is realized both visually and audibly.
You can watch a more detailed description of these ideas here: (insert PATV #100 part I)
https://youtu.be/Hpr_ykufuao
You can watch a short performance of these ideas here: (insert PATV #100 part II)
https://youtu.be/hjiA2iDXAEU
As I learned and experimented with these ideas mallet choice became an obvious critical
issue. Defining articulation as a balance of attack and length I realized that, as
percussionists, we are better at the former rather than the latter. So, in an effort to adjust
the imbalance, I settled on mallets that minimize attack so as to draw more attention to
the length of each note. The trick was finding a stick that would both minimize attack but
also be just articulate enough for the more rhythmic passages. And, Ive recently found
some amazing tools! They will be featured at PASIC and in the full video performance
below and on my YouTube channel page. I found this approach especially helpful for the
https://medium.com/@tburritt/from-artist-to-concert-goer-and-bach-to-ishii-making-connections-8af57af9177c#.gvdrc6hf7

Page 3 of 4

From Artist to Concert Goer and Bach to Ishii: Making Connections. Medium

11/21/15, 7:23 PM

tonal nature that Bach inhabits.

Eric Siblin in his book The Cello Suites perfectly sums up my current interest in
performing Bachs music:
Bachs instruments often feel beside the point, as if he composed ideal music, music that
transcends instruments, music that was invented to reinvent itself. Its often assumed that
a piece of music by Bach is so musically indestructible that it can be played with excellent
results on, say, kazoo, pennywhistle, banjo, marimba, saxophone!!you name it. Such is
Bachs street cred.
Watch a full video performance of the 5th Suite.
While not widely known, the Ishii, scored for marimba and 6 percussion, is a work Ive had
on my radar for years. Immensely powerful and profound, I had the opportunity to perform
it in Japan a few summers ago and I jumped at the chance. While the work is not tonal in
nature it is one of the most emotional in any percussive genre. The pallet of sounds is
vast, the colors deep, and by the end youre somehow changed. It is a visual wonder as
well, with a large percussion set up. Joining me on the Ishii will be line up line
percussions, Matt Teodori, Cullen Faulk, and Adam Bedell, as well as fellow UT-Austin
graduates Andrew Furhman, Tim Briones, and Eric Peterson. To my knowledge this work
has never been performed at a PASIC. If that is the case, Its certainly an honor to bring it
to our arts largest stage for the first time.
In many ways this concert is a culmination of my creative work over the past 45 years
featuring the use of technology to better connect with my audience, refreshed
programming considerations, newly developed pedagogical approaches, and an overall
reimagination of my sound through a new instrument and newly designed mallets. While
Im excited to perform this concert I hope that whats driving it (programmatically and
pedagogically) adds up to something that lasts as an overall contribution to our art, well
past that 50 minute period in November, in San Antonio Texas at PASIC 2015.
I welcome your thoughts and reactions and invite you to visit my
website:www.thomasburritt.com and my facebook
page:www.facebook.com/thomasburritt to contact me and see how things are
progressing! Or, tweet at me: @tburritt.

https://medium.com/@tburritt/from-artist-to-concert-goer-and-bach-to-ishii-making-connections-8af57af9177c#.gvdrc6hf7

Page 4 of 4