Karim Al-Zand

composer

date

2005

duration

10 minutes

instrumentation

flute (piccolo), clarinet (B-flat, A, bass clarinet), violin, cello, harp, percussion

commission

Musiqa and Dominic Walsh Dance Theater

premiere

April 30, 2005
Leone Buyse, flute;
Michael Webster, clarinet;
Maureen Nelson, violin;
Norman Fischer, cello;
Paula Page, harp;
Andrea Moore, percussion;
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor;

Zilkha Hall
Houston TX

The Waiting Game

a choreographic scene for dance

about the piece:

The work is divided into four linked sections, each with its own characteristic dance music: the first is rather slow and brooding, with periodic interruptions; the second, after a tentative beginning, is somewhat playful and humorous; the third section is a delicate and wistful dance; and the finale is rhythmic and boisterous.

imageThe Waiting Game also features a distinctive non-Western instrument: a kalimba (pictured at right), played by the percussionist. The kalimba originates in Africa and is constructed of metal tines affixed to a resonating chamber (traditionally a hollowed-out gourd). The tines are plucked with the thumbs (the instrument is often called a ‘thumb piano’) to produce its characteristic soft ‘pinging’ sound, which can be heard prominently in the third dance of The Waiting Game.

The title of the work relates to a choreographed dance scenario which develops in tandem with the piece: a man and woman flirt as they wait at a bus stop.

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