Michael Combs, Percussive Notes, August, September 2009.

This is basically a marimba solo (with piano accompaniment) that skillfully engages four toms, a small gong, and two suspended cymbals within the framework of the melodic material. A 4.3-octave marimba is required, with the toms, gongs and cymbals positioned in front of the marimba so as to serve as an extension of the keyboard. The non-pitched instruments are not used very often, but, when they are used, they are cleverly interjected as part of the marimba line. The technique of playing the short passages on four toms is a continuation of the four-mallet marimba technique.

A tuatara is a reptile native to New Zealand thought to be in existence since the time of the dinosaurs. The piece is based on two musical ideas, which are heard concurrently in the beginning. A jaunty, angular, syncopated theme in the piano is set against the marimba's running sixteenth notes. The entire work is based on these two themes that are exchanged between the two instruments and developed through variation treatment.

With the exception of one 5/4 measure, the work is in 4/4. The quarter note is marked at 120 bpm except for five measures that include one measure marked "slower", two marked "a tempo", and two marked "rallentando molto". Sixteenth-note patterns dominate in this material that involves double stops that often include octave spreads in both hands, but dynamic contrasts that run the gamut from pp to fff add the real character and flavor to this work, and those changes occur quite rapidly in some sections.'

The piece is 268 measures ling and the soloist plays almost continuously. Unless the solo part is memorized, the performer will need to work out a solution to two major page-turn challenges. Just like the tuatara reptile, this new work is going to be around for a long time and likely to become a standard in advanced literature for percussion and piano.

Difficulty Rating Scale V - Advanced