Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble Karel Husa

Titel / Title: Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble - Score and Parts
Herausgeber / Publisher: Associated Music Publishers
Instrumentation: Wind Ensemble and 5 Percussionists
Produkttyp / Product: Partitur + Stimmen
Serie / Series: G. Schirmer Band-Orchestra
Format: 305 X 229
UPC: 073999860788

Wind Ensemble and 5 Percussionists
Publisher Code: AMP7214

The 'Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble' was commissioned by the Ludwig percussion company in 1971. It was first performed by the Baylor University Wind Ensemble under the direction of Gene C. Smith. It is one of the most frequently performed percussion concertos in the USA and Japan.
Karel Husa writes about his piece: 'The work is divided into three movements. The first movement 'Maestoso' uses mainly bell-like percussion instruments such as tubular bells, vibraphone, glockenspiel, lyre, crotales, cymbals and gong. The second movement 'Moderato molto' introduces a new timbre with the marimba. This solo is accompanied by individual instruments from the first movement as well as by drum instruments such as kettledrums and tom tom. At the beginning of the third section, the drum instruments are then in the foreground. Various mallet instruments are added and finally the piece ends with similar sound combinations as it began, supported by the kettledrums'.
After the premiere, it was reported in the newspaper that the 18-minute concert had, in a certain sense, overtones of an organised cacophony. But the operative word here is organised. It is noisy and loud, certainly, but even more so than Tchaikovsky's 1812 - Overture, but all those who were present on the evening of the premiere were amply rewarded for coming.