marimba 5 octave

Passing Through is a work for marimba (three players) and computer-genreated sound (recorded or in real time via laptop computer). This piece was a collaborative effort with composer Stan Link, conceived as an homage to composer John Cage's ideas of indeterminacy in music. The two of us worked independantly from each other, neither knowing exactly what the other was doing, or had done, until the premiere. The marimba pieces (Slayton) and the computer-generated soundscapes to accompany them (Link) coexist as separate entities, tied together only through the singularity of the philosophical concept. That being said, the marimba work (listed here) may be performed seprately. To obtain a recording of the computer music, please inquire with ACA, or contact me directly.

This suite was written for my friend, violinist Heidi Aklaseaq Senungetuk for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Contemporary Music Festival. 

This work was commissioned by MTNA for their 2002 national competition. Two movements: the Fantasy, which is heroic (at times, frenzied) in nature, and the Fugue, whose somber tones steal forward at a mysterious pace. Both movements contain motivic quotations of Béla Bartók.