Includes score and tape (CD).
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Review from Percussive Notes (2021):
Gu-Luan, Ritual I from “Yuen Shan”
Michael Ranta
This quartet for percussionists and tape is quite grand in its instrumentation and its length (18 minutes). The score includes notes about preferred types of instruments. For example, the small Thai nipple gongs should ideally be 18–30 centimeters in diameter; the tom-toms should preferably be “daiko”-type drums. This is the primary challenge I see in programming and performing this work. For a truly accurate performance, suited to the composer’s wishes, there needs to be a huge amount of very specific instrumentation available to the quartet.
The score is written in a type of aleatoric notation, with timings at the beginning and ending of each system. Tempo ranges are suggested at various points for each player to follow individually. At some points, the notation (due to the quality of the copy) is a bit small and difficult to decipher. However, a mature quartet could certainly align the parts with the tape to create a strong performance. As with many pieces in this style, the challenge appears to lie with coordination between individual parts as opposed to the virtuosic nature of each part.
I would recommend this piece for an advanced ensemble looking for an exploration of aleatoric music. Beyond the issue of simply finding all the gear necessary for the piece, it would take professional-level coordination between performers to realize the piece in performance.
—Justin Bunting
