Kressbach-Darkness Around Us, The (SP)-V/Cro./X/2M/P

The Darkness Around Us by Ben Kressbach is an advanced quartet that pushes performers to explore extended techniques, shifting meters, and a heightened sense of ensemble awareness. Built around a centrally shared bass drum, the piece uses irregular time signatures, interlocking rhythmic layers, and constantly evolving listening environments to unify the performers in a ritual-like musical experience, partly inspired by the William E. Stafford poem, “A Ritual to Read to Each Other.”

Scored for two marimbas, vibraphone, xylophone, crotales, shared bass drum, and assorted toms, the piece incorporates unique effects including vibraphone pitch bending, aluminum-foil buzz textures, and yarn-mallet passages for xylophone. Careful placement of the shared bass drum and toms is essential to facilitate seamless transitions and coordinated dampening.

Additional Information:

• Number of players: 4
• Difficulty: Advanced


• Instrumentation:
• Player 1: Marimba (4.5 octave), high tom, bass drum (laid flat, shared)
• Player 2: Marimba (5 octave), low tom, bass drum (laid flat, shared)
• Player 3: Vibraphone, medium tom, bass drum (laid flat, shared)
• Player 4: Crotales (2 octaves), xylophone, bass drum (laid flat, shared)