by Etienne Houben
16 Players
Instrumentation:
Player 1: Glockenspiel
Player 2: Xylophone, Crotales (2 octaves), High Splash Cymbal
Player 3: Vibraphone
Player 4: Marimba 1 (4-octave)
Player 5: Marimba 2 (4.3-octave), Medium High Splash Cymbal
Player 6: Marimba 3 (5-octave), Medium Splash Cymbal
Player 7: Chimes, Wine Glasses (D, E, F)
Player 8: Timpani (4-5 drums), Temple Bowls (A, D)
Player 9: Snare Drum, Temple Blocks (2), High Opera Gong, Analog Metronome
Player 10: Field or Tenor Drum, 2 Roto-Toms, 4 Octobans
Player 11: Snare Drum, 4 Concert Toms, Impact Bass Drum, Analog Metronome, Bongos, 2 Triangles
Player 12: Hi-Hat, Wind Chimes, Spring Drum, Claves, Woodblock, Tambourine, Impact Bass Drum
Player 13: Tambourine, Analog Metronome, Bell Tree, Triangle
Player 14: Cymbals (Sizzle, Crash Pair, China, Suspended), Finger Cymbals
Player 15: Large Tam-Tam, Suspended Cymbal
Player 16: Concert Bass Drum
In this 10-1/2 minute work for 16 percussionists, the composer was inspired by the fantasies he had as as child when he looked up at the stars in awe. What secrets are hidden behind the night sky? The Galaxy Swan, Cygnus in Latin, is best known for Cygnus X-1 – a black hole. Cygnus X-1 was the first proof that black holes exist. This phenomenon is one of the greatest forces in the universe. Even light cannot escape this cosmic primal force. The piece takes the listener on a cosmic journey to the black hole through the eyes of a child.
The piece divides into the following sections:
Glancing at the stars
Magnificent Cosmos
Interstellar Journey
The Black Hole beckons
Bending gravity and light
The Void: time and reality broken down
Falling from Infinity back to reality
Magnificent Cosmos: creator of the universe
The Enigma remains
