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Dark Passenger by Andy Harnsberger is an intense, visceral ride through many different musical territories. The setup consists of three sets of bongos placed back to back, while the three performers frame the setup on three sides. This makes it possible to display the piece visually to an audience by means of a mounted camera overhead which relays a top-down view of the action to a projection screen.
The piece traverses a wide area of energies. The driving, anxious feel of the beginning is brought about through an intricate web of layered interactions and split parts. A variety of sticks, rods, brushes, and mallets are rotated through for different timbres, and the pacing of the ideas creates an audio/visual dance resembling a three-way tennis match.
By contrast, the middle section takes us to a place of calm serenity and stillness, which is brought about through cup gongs placed on the bongos and a small selection of different suspended gongs. From here we slowly transition up to the a high-energy conclusion with a frenzy of split parts.
Dark Passenger is highly entertaining to see performed live but would also make a great video interlude during stage changes.
Conceived as a three-part composition, “Dark Passenger” features in the opening and closing sections three equally-skilled performers on bongos. The middle section permits this high-energy work to almost float in its resonant presentation of cup gongs, opera gongs, and a tuned gong. The overall effect of this timbral contrast is quite unique.
The performance presentation resembles an indoor winter guard presentation on multi-tenors, with the complexity of rhythmic dialogue among the three performers on bongos. The middle section totally contrasts the opening with the soothing, resonant sounds of the gongs, which provide challenges in ensemble balance among the three performers. As stated in the preface, “Through composite rhythms, technical sticking patterns, and layered counterpoint, the trio weaves the minimal setup into a collective musical fabric…The piece is meant to be visual as well as aural.”
A carefully-designed setup grid aids a successful performance of this outstanding percussion trio. “Dark Passenger” lasts eight minutes and would be appropriate for an advanced percussion trio.
—Jim Lambert
Percussive Notes
Vol. 55, No. 1, March 2017
Dark Passenger by Andy Harnsberger is an intense, visceral ride through many different musical territories. The setup consists of three sets of bongos placed back to back, while the three performers frame the setup on three sides. This makes it possible to display the piece visually to an audience by means of a mounted camera overhead which relays a top-down view of the action to a projection screen.
The piece traverses a wide area of energies. The driving, anxious feel of the beginning is brought about through an intricate web of layered interactions and split parts. A variety of sticks, rods, brushes, and mallets are rotated through for different timbres, and the pacing of the ideas creates an audio/visual dance resembling a three-way tennis match.
By contrast, the middle section takes us to a place of calm serenity and stillness, which is brought about through cup gongs placed on the bongos and a small selection of different suspended gongs. From here we slowly transition up to the a high-energy conclusion with a frenzy of split parts.
Dark Passenger is highly entertaining to see performed live but would also make a great video interlude during stage changes.
Conceived as a three-part composition, “Dark Passenger” features in the opening and closing sections three equally-skilled performers on bongos. The middle section permits this high-energy work to almost float in its resonant presentation of cup gongs, opera gongs, and a tuned gong. The overall effect of this timbral contrast is quite unique.
The performance presentation resembles an indoor winter guard presentation on multi-tenors, with the complexity of rhythmic dialogue among the three performers on bongos. The middle section totally contrasts the opening with the soothing, resonant sounds of the gongs, which provide challenges in ensemble balance among the three performers. As stated in the preface, “Through composite rhythms, technical sticking patterns, and layered counterpoint, the trio weaves the minimal setup into a collective musical fabric…The piece is meant to be visual as well as aural.”
A carefully-designed setup grid aids a successful performance of this outstanding percussion trio. “Dark Passenger” lasts eight minutes and would be appropriate for an advanced percussion trio.
—Jim Lambert
Percussive Notes
Vol. 55, No. 1, March 2017
