Bobo-Radio (SP)-V/Cro./3M/P

Radio by Kevin Bobo is a percussion quartet commissioned by Adam Blackstock and the Troy University Percussion Ensemble. From the composer, "With today's technology being what it is and how readily information is available, it is hard to imagine that, at one point, the radio was the primary source for both information and entertainment. Much like viruses hinder our modern technology, I remember listening to the radio on long car rides where stations would come in clearly at times, only to be lost or mixed up with others as the trip would progress. Though this can result in a frustrating listening experience, as a composer, it can also create an interesting one. It seems that there would be an unlimited number of these sonic combinations as classical music mixes with rock, and jazz tangles with the local news. Radio is a percussive exploration of these possibilities."


Instrumentation:

Percussion 1 - marimba (4.3 octave), ice bell, vibraphone, bicycle bell

Percussion 2 - marimba (4.3 octave), 4 small ceramic bowls, toy piano, crotales (high octave) bow

Percussion 3 - marimba (5 octave), tam-tam, 2 triangles, thunder tube (suspended), egg shaker, bell tree, sizzle cymbal, 3 large ceramic bowls, radio, spoken voice in a cup

Percussion 4 - snare drum, kick drum, 2 suspended cymbals, hi-hat, siren whistle, kazoo, two woodblocks, tambourine, splash cymbal, celesta, referee whistle, radio ratchet (suspended)