by Chad Heiny
12 players
Instrumentation:
Glockenspiel
Crotales (4 notes removed and played like finger cymbals, need both octaves)
Xylophone
3 vibraphones
3 marimbas — (2) low A, (1) 5-octave)
Piano
Drums — bongos, doumbek, field drum, kick drum (mounted), piccolo snare drum, tamborim
Cymbals & gongs — small crash cymbal, 2 sizzle cymbals, tam-tam
Accessories — bell tree, caxixi (2), claves, mark tree (echo tree if possible), sleigh bells, small tambourine, sonic energy bell, 2 triangles
Crossing the Threshold is an intricate work by Chad Heiny for 11 percussionists and piano. It symbolizes the popular narrative concept of “The Hero’s Journey” in which a hero departs on an adventure, triumphs through crisis, and ultimately returns enlightened and transformed by the experience. While not entirely programmatic, its arc also suggests the ongoing journey of a talisman – an object passed along from person to person, and generation to generation.
A richly orchestrated piece for intermediate-advanced ensembles, performers must frequently maintain independent lines that serve to weave a broader musical tapestry. Special techniques like bowed vibraphones, crotales performed like finger cymbals in a variety of ways, and numerous energetic, drummy interjections ultimately create a wide spectrum of colors representative of contemporary percussion composition.
Crossing the Threshold ships as a printed, professionally bound score, and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or tablet viewing.
