Matre's Dance

Percussion & Piano

Work Details

Matre's Dance
(1991/94)
WORK DURATION
9:45
WORK CODE
PE027
Instrumentation
perc (bongo, 3 tom toms, 2 timpani [OR 6 roto toms]) / pf
COMMISSION DETAILS
Jack Body (with financial support from Creative New Zealand)
Premiere
Bruce McKinnon (perc), David Guerin (pf), Wellington, New Zealand, April 1991
The image above is indicative only and may not reflect the specific instrumentatioN. thE image has been generated using an AI model or licensed for use by unless otherwise credited.

First made famous by Evelyn Glennie, Matre's Dance is now a standard in the repertoire for piano and percussion. The title refers to a dance performed by a group of fanatics in one of Frank Herbert's Dune books. The dance was non-repeating and exhausting for the dancer, who often collapsed or died before completing the extremely long, complex routine. Matre's Dance is highly energetic and maintains relentless rhythmic tension courtesy of unpredictable accents and syncopation.

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