Underwood Concerto (piano reduction)

Written for marimbist Michael Burritt, this virtuosic three-movement work is a first-rate piece of music. The solo marimba part is extremely virtuosic and challenging, featuring state of the art four mallet technique for the marimba soloist.

Program Notes

This piece is the piano reduction of the orchestration of the popular Concerto for Marimba, Percussion, and Synthesizers, the most performed work of it’s genre, ever. The three movements, I. Melismatic, II. InaMst, and III. Rokit!, demonstrate an exciting ensemble between the soloist and orchestra featuring state-of-the-art four-mallet technique for the marimba soloist.

The title Underwood Concerto refers to percussionist Ruth Underwood who performed and recorded with Frank Zappa in the late 1970’s and 80’s. The unusual means of featuring virtuosic keyboard percussion in a rock/jazz setting was an inspiration for much of McCarthy’s percussion and mallet music. This concerto is dedicated to her.

Grade Level: 5
Copyright: 2010
Number of Players: 2
Duration: 12:30
Publisher: C. Alan Publications
Type: Duet
Category: Percussion

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Instrumentation

Marimba (5-octave)
Piano