Zivkovic-Quintetto per Cinque Solisti Op. 18(S) OS

Quintetto, just as most of my other works, was composed mostly at night. And this is how it starts - in the dark night atmosphere, in the low register of the bass marimba. The piece was composed for the US tour of the "Percussion Ensemble Stuttgart"  and had its premiere performance at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Nashville by the same ensemble. At that time as well as today, it is a "complicated" instrumentation, since five marimbas are not the most practical selection one could make. This eccentric instrumentation is further complicated by extreme technical demands placed on the musicians. The music actually is of a soloist's level, therefore the title: "Quintet for Five Soloists". The principal idea - putting together five different soloists and characters into one rather large and energetic piece - is achieved in various ways. In some parts of the piece, for example, I call for five different tempi imultaneously...the connecting parameters at such places, are only a mathematical proportions of those five tempi to each other. After the one-by-one opening of each player in the mid-low register, they remain together in a contemplative pianissimo for a while, until the first "break out" occurs by one of the players. This represents the "soloist" tendency. The middle section of the piece is built on several attempts of different "soloists" to break out, but they are always caught and brought back by the rest of the group. Eventually, duo and trio "connections" among the ensemble members are being established (for example: the melody in the crotales is actually performed by three players, which also gives a nice panorama effect in live performance). Finally, the group spirit wins and the five soloists find themselves in an energetic, groovy and wild ride towards the ending - a heavy chain stroke against a huge tam-tam on the stage floor.

-NJZ

Number of Players: 5
Level of Difficulty: Grade 5
Instrumentation:

Player I:Marimba, 2 China Cym, Triangle, Small Metal Tube, Crotales (f,g)

Player II: Marimba, Tambourine, 2 Wood-Blocks, Crotales (des,c)

Player III: Marimba, 2 Woodblocks, Tambourine, 2 Toms

Player IV: Marimba, 2 Woodblocks, Tambourine, 2 Toms,

Player V: Bass Marimba, Bass Drum, Cym, Heavy Chain

Hailed by the critics as one of the most unique and expressive artists in the field today, a composing virtuoso Zivkovic is recognized as one of the worlds top marimba and percussion soloists. He embodies a very rare tradition: the tradition the composer and virtuoso in one person, which was common in the 19th century among famous concert artists. 

Zivkovic completed his master's degrees in composition, music theory and percussion in Mannheim and Stuttgart, Germany. He tours extensively throughout Europe, and performs frequently in the USA, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Latin America, Russia and Scandinavian countries. As a soloist, mostly with his own Marimba concertos, Zivkovic played among other with Stuttgart Philharmonic, Munich Symphonic, Bochum Phiharmonic, Austrian Chamber Symphony, Hannover Radio Symphony, Bielefeld Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Costa Rica, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra (Finland) Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, to name a few.