Hasenpflug-Euonymus Alatus (SP)-B/Cro./X/3M/P

Euonymus Alatus (The Burning Bush) by Thom Hasenpflug was commissioned by the University of Texas at Austin (Dr. Thomas Burritt, Director), for premiere at the 2006 Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

The Burning Bush (sp.Euonymus Alatus) is a perfectly simple, classic, yet complex shrub found in home gardens and nurseries in many parts of the country. A seemingly innocuous green clump of leaves in springtime, it turns a brilliant and fiery red late in the season. A hearty grower, it can be tough as nails in less than hospitable growing climates.

This work presents a reflection on the plant; Its classic form, its deceptive, mysterious, and brilliant colors, and the way the leaves from a short distance seemingly grow in families, but upon closer inspection reveal themselves to grow in tandem, on either side of the branch, as symmetrically opposing forces.

INSTRUMENTATION

Player 1: opera gong, tam-tam, coffee can, 4.3-octave marimba

Player 2: opera gong, glass wind chimes, large book, 4.3-octave marimba

Player 3: triangle, bass drum, bongos

Player 4: Brazilian tambourim, African gankogui bell, suspended cymbal, large book, 5-octave marimba

Player 5: 3 clay pots, 2 woodblocks, metal trash can lid, 2 Thai nipple gongs, glockenspiel

Player 6: 3 glass salsa jars, concert bass drum, metal wind chimes, claves

Player 7: 3 Pyrex-style mixing bowls, large floor tom, bowed suspended cymbal, large book, xylophone

Player 8: 4 large bottles and/or vases, field drum, China splash cymbal, single egg shaker, vibraslap, large resonant metal

Player 9: 4 graduated pieces of wood, bass drum, piccolo snare drum, China lion cymbal

Player 10: 5 Almglocken (high), conga drum (high), 2 large drums, hand-held bell tree, gourd shekere

Player 11: 5 Almglocken (low), conga drum (low), metal trash can, square point shovel blade, crotales (shared)

Player 12: 4 large concert toms, 4-pitch log drum, 2 standard China cymbals

Player 13: snare drum, djembe, brake drum, true cowbell, basket/caixi shaker(s), finger cymbals

Player 14: 4 large concert toms, 3 stainless steel mixing bowls, splash cymbal, standard China cymbal, finger cymbals, whipstick

Player 15: 2 large roto-toms, trash-type cymbal, sizzle cymbal, ice bell, crotales (2 octaves)

Player 16: timbales, concert bass drum, hi-hat (w/ sticks and hot rods)