Blue Identity (solo version)Blue Identity (solo version)
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Blue Identity (solo version)

for solo marimba
Level: Advanced
Duration: 5:30
State Lists: Florida | Texas | Missouri | Wisconsin
Release Date: 2019
Product ID : TSPCS19-015
Price: $19.00
Item #: TSPCS19-015

Formats Available:


Note: This is a recording of the ensemble version from which the solo version was adapted.

Description

International soloist and percussion educator She-e Wu composed Blue Identity for the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris and its director Frédéric Macarez. In its original format, it was scored for a marimba soloist with four percussionists. After premiering in Paris in 2002, it received its U.S. premiere at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC).

This rendition of Blue Identity has been created specifically for solo marimba. Relentless as it is lyrical, it provides a virtuosic vehicle for advanced players to showcase technical dexterity in a dramatic musical setting.

The solo marimba version is dedicated to the IPEA (International Percussion Education Association) and its annual competition in Shanghai, China in 2019.

The ensemble version of Blue Identity was recorded in 2017 in Kangasala, Finland, and is on the album "HITS" with Osuma Percussion Group and She-e Wu on Alba Records, released in 2018.

This piece ships as a printed, professionally bound folio with a full-color cover.

Instrumentation

Marimba–5-octave

Reviews

Originally written as a marimba feature with percussion ensemble, this version of “Blue Identity” is for solo marimba only. The marimba part is almost exactly the same, minus several non-marimba interludes from the rest of the ensemble. The title “Blue Identity” comes from the composer’s admiration of the film The Bourne Identity, along with her “blue” emotional state at the time of composition. Perhaps the opening, including a short chorale section that returns later in the work, is meant to represent the “blue” aspect of the title, and the very fast tempi and rhythms that make up most of the piece represent the energy, drama, and action of The Bourne Identity. These fast sections still maintain the harmony of the opening, giving the work a clear degree of continuity. 

“Blue Identity” is probably best suited for an advanced undergraduate or graduate level recital, as there are technical and musical challenges throughout. The performer must have well-developed chops to execute the interval changes and rotation strokes that permeate much of the piece. There is also lots of room for expression, especially in the slower-moving sections. The repetitive nature of the harmonic material will also necessitate a mature performance, in order to add variety and keep audiences engaged. 

—Joseph Van Hassel
Percussive Notes
Vol. 58, No. 1, February 2020

Description

International soloist and percussion educator She-e Wu composed Blue Identity for the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris and its director Frédéric Macarez. In its original format, it was scored for a marimba soloist with four percussionists. After premiering in Paris in 2002, it received its U.S. premiere at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC).

This rendition of Blue Identity has been created specifically for solo marimba. Relentless as it is lyrical, it provides a virtuosic vehicle for advanced players to showcase technical dexterity in a dramatic musical setting.

The solo marimba version is dedicated to the IPEA (International Percussion Education Association) and its annual competition in Shanghai, China in 2019.

The ensemble version of Blue Identity was recorded in 2017 in Kangasala, Finland, and is on the album "HITS" with Osuma Percussion Group and She-e Wu on Alba Records, released in 2018.

This piece ships as a printed, professionally bound folio with a full-color cover.

Instrumentation

Marimba–5-octave

Reviews

Originally written as a marimba feature with percussion ensemble, this version of “Blue Identity” is for solo marimba only. The marimba part is almost exactly the same, minus several non-marimba interludes from the rest of the ensemble. The title “Blue Identity” comes from the composer’s admiration of the film The Bourne Identity, along with her “blue” emotional state at the time of composition. Perhaps the opening, including a short chorale section that returns later in the work, is meant to represent the “blue” aspect of the title, and the very fast tempi and rhythms that make up most of the piece represent the energy, drama, and action of The Bourne Identity. These fast sections still maintain the harmony of the opening, giving the work a clear degree of continuity. 

“Blue Identity” is probably best suited for an advanced undergraduate or graduate level recital, as there are technical and musical challenges throughout. The performer must have well-developed chops to execute the interval changes and rotation strokes that permeate much of the piece. There is also lots of room for expression, especially in the slower-moving sections. The repetitive nature of the harmonic material will also necessitate a mature performance, in order to add variety and keep audiences engaged. 

—Joseph Van Hassel
Percussive Notes
Vol. 58, No. 1, February 2020



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