DURATION
18-19 minutes
INSTRUMENTATION
Violin, cello, piano, and drum kit
REVIEWS
“Ho’s Kickin’ It was a tribute to percussion as rhythm, haunting timbre, and pure power, an aphoristic anthem to all percussion pieces everywhere. What a positive success and a formidable way to end the evening, with Glennie kickin’ it to the end.” – Calgary Herald, review of Kickin’ It 2.0
Kickin’ It 2.0
I. Twister
II. Filigree
III. Cadenza
IV. Burn
Kickin’ It 2.0 is a virtuosic work, written for drum kit and piano trio, based from the original drum kit + piano duo version (Kickin’ It, written for Vicky Chow and Ben Reimer). The music was inspired by a number of elements: the art of improvisation, the music of Squarepusher, jazz, gamelan music, Chinese folk music, and the crime novels of James Ellroy. Compositionally speaking, the work brings together three separate streams I have been developing in my musical language. One is my experience in writing for percussion instruments, most especially in the works for acclaimed percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie. Another is my ongoing pursuit in developing my pianistic language – the tactile and gestural elements (or “signatures”) that define my own performance practice for the instrument. The third is my own manner of writing for string instruments that I have been developing over the same period of time. Kickin’ It 2.0 therefore represents the confluence of all three streams. The players are all featured on equal levels of importance as they maintain their constant dialogue with one another while covering a wide expressive range.
