Coincident Dances
At a Glance
-
Composed
2017 -
Length
c. 10 minutes -
Orchestration
2 flutes (2nd=piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (2nd=bass clarinet), 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, caxixi, cowbell, hi-hat, shaker, snare drum, suspended cymbal, tambourine, timbales, toms, triangle, woodblock, xylophone), and strings -
First Los Angeles Philharmonic Performance
October 14, 2023, Elim Chan conducting
About this Piece
Coincident Dances is inspired by the sounds found in New York’s various cultures, capturing the frenetic energy and multicultural aural palette one hears even in a short walk through a New York City neighborhood. The work is a fusion of several different sound-worlds: English consort, samba, mbira dance music from Ghana, swing, and techno.
My reason for choosing these styles sometimes stemmed from an actual experience of accidentally hearing a pair simultaneously, which happens most days of the week walking down the streets of New York, or one time when I heard a parked car playing Latin jazz while I had rhythm and blues in my headphones. Some of the pairings are merely experiments. Working in this mode, the orchestra takes on the role of a DJ of a multicultural dance track.
—Jessie Montgomery
