Steve Reich: Mallet Quartet  

Study score for 2 vibraphones and 2 marimbas.

Mallet Quartet was commissioned by the Amadinda Quartet in Budapest, on the occasion of its 25th Anniversary, by Nexus in Toronto, So Percussion in New York and Synergy Percussion in Australia. The world Premiere was given by the Amadinda Quartet in Bela Bartok National Concert Hall on December 6, 2009.

Note from Steve Reich
The piece is in three movements, fast, slow, fast. In the two outer fast movements the marimbas set the harmonic background which remains rather static compared to recent pieces of mine like Double Sextet (2007). The marimbas interlock in canon, also a procedur I have used in many other works. The vibes present the melodic material first solo and then in canon. However, in the central slow movement the texture changes into a thinner more transparent one with very sapre use of notes, particularly in the marimbas. I was originally concerned this movement might just be 'too thin', but I think ends up being most striking and certainly the least expected of the piece.