Timber

Michael Gordon, the musical pioneer and co-founder of the New York ensemble Bang on a Can, is known for his subtle rhythmic explorations and bold compositional inventions. His music stems from his experience in the underground rock scene of the Big Apple, combined with classical training. It’s no surprise, then, that he is obsessed with the nature of rhythm and has built his career on exploring what happens when different rhythms are layered on top of one another.

Gordon composed Timber in 2009 specifically for HIIIT, as music for the dance production Pinball & Grace by Club Guy & Roni. The concert version quickly became a modern classic in the percussion repertoire. Gordon left behind traditional instrumentation, resulting in a mesmerizing masterpiece—a meditation on sound and rhythm that pushes the physical power, endurance, and technique of percussionists to a new level; a true desert trip.

Timber consists of five continuous sections, in which the energy of swelling and fading rolls creates an almost hallucinatory effect. Through their intense interplay, the musicians seem to transform into a single body. The piece is performed on so-called simantras, instruments made of archaic hardwood, rooted in a historical Greek ecclesiastical tradition and first developed by composer Iannis Xenakis.

The performance will take place on Saturday afternoon, October 11, during Dag in de Branding in our hometown, The Hague. The upcoming edition (#74) is—unsurprisingly—entirely dedicated to wood. We will be playing at a particularly photogenic location, namely Haags Hoog. Will you come and enjoy the dizzying view and the equally dazzling music? The performance will be preceded by a workshop for children. Under the guidance of composer Remy Alexander, kids will get the chance to create music themselves using wooden instruments and objects.