Limb

Instrumentation: Contrabass Flute (doubling piccolo) and Percussion (vibraphone, wind gong, crotales)

Duration: 8.5 minutes

Date of Composition: 2013

About:

Limb was commissioned by and composed for the A/B Duo. This single-movement work maintains a constant intensity and focus as it moves through three contrasting sections. The shimmering opening pairs the contrabass flute (playing in its highest register) with the vibraphone. The two instruments shadow each other via quickly shifting unison trills and tremolos. This gives way to a new section centered around the wind gong's subtle yet rich pitch-noise spectrum. A cacophonous wind gong/piccolo climax ushers in the final section, a much more meditative environment that pairs bowed crotales with deep long tones in the contrabass flute and gently ringing vibraphone chords.