Michael Daugherty, "UFO" (1999)
“If you've never experienced Glennie, you shouldn't miss her. If you've heard her before, chances are you already have your tickets.”
--Washington Post
I. Traveling Music
II. Unidentified
III. Flying
IV. ???
V. Objects
"UFO" for solo percussion and orchestra, was commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra through a grant from the John and June Hechinger Commissioning Fund and written for Evelyn Glennie. It was first performed by Evelyn Glennie, solo percussion, and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin, at the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C. on April 10, 1999. In five movements with a total duration of about 30 minutes, the concerto is scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, B-flat clarinet, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, and strings.
The concerto is inspired by the unidentified flying objects that have been an obsession in popular culture since 1947. The soloist is introduced as an alien, arriving unexpectedly and playing mysterious percussion instruments in unfamiliar ways. During the three major sections of the composition--Unidentified, Flying, Objects--the soloist travels to different percussion stations on the stage. There are also brief interludes during which the percussion soloist performs sleight-of-hand improvisations that may leave the listener wondering: Is this another UFO sighting?
The five sections are as follows:
- Traveling Music
- Unidentified
- Flying
- "???"
- Objects
Soloist performs on a waterphone; and mechanical siren with orchestral strings.
Soloist performs on xylophone; ice cymbal; crasher; slasher; brake drum, spring, (or other "trash" instruments); earth plate; cymbal disc; and Chinese gongs with full orchestra.
In July 1947 near Roswell, New Mexico, a rancher heard a loud explosion and discovered strange metal scraps in the desert. Responding to national newspaper reports of this "UFO crash," government agencies quickly converged on the wreckage site and confiscated the evidence. The "incident at Roswell" resonates in the popular imagination because to this day the government file remains top secret. What happened to those scattered metal scraps? They resonate on the concert stage, as the percussionist plays on xylophone and eight pieces of unidentified metal.
Soloist performs on vibraphone; 3 cymbals; marktree with full orchestra
An airplane pilot flying near Mt. Rainier, Washington, spotted a formation of bright objects which he described as "flying saucers," traveling at incredible speed through the sky. This 1947 sighting made international headlines and launched the modern UFO craze, with the proliferation of UFO magazines, clubs, conferences, photographs and films. In this section we hear fugues fly at supersonic tempos through the orchestra. We also witness a virtuoso performance by the solo percussionist, on vibraphone and cymbals that hover and shimmer in the air like flying saucers.
Soloist performs on non-pitched "alien" instruments; with contrabassoon
Soloist performs on 5 Tom-toms; 8 octobans; bongos; kit bass drum; alien cymbal; 3 small cymbals; various metal objects; temple blocks; 3 Latin cowbells; and mechanical siren with full orchestra
One of the most persistent arguments against the existence of UFO's has been the lack of physical evidence of alien spacecraft after crashing. The secret military base called Area 51, located somewhere in the Nevada Nuclear Test Site, is reputed to be the repository for alien objects. UFO buffs from around the world make their pilgrimages here, hoping to catch a glimpse of a captured flying saucer. Pulsating with rhythms in 5/4 time, this section features percussion instruments that suggest the outer trappings and inner machinery of a fine-tuned alien aircraft.
