marimba marimba is the second CD produced by the German Marimba Duo (GMD). Their debut recording presented their arrangement for two marimbas of Pictures at an Exhibition (M.Mussorgsky, 1874). The idea of adding this version of the piano classic to the many which already exist, led Matthias Krohn and Andreas Schwarz to the founding of their duo in 1997. Five years later the transcription for two marimbas still has not met its match.

The GMD has been on the road ever since with this jewel in their bags, bringing their audiences into contact with the marimba which even today is one of the lesser-known instruments. The repertoire of the duo has continually expanded. This was not originally planned by the musicians but has been received with great welcome by their audiences and the press.

The marimba is a typical live instrument: one to be seen, touched, just basically experienced. It makes it quite difficult to produce an audio recording as this lacks exactly those elements. At the same time, however, the desire to hear works originally written for marimba continues to increase. The technical side of this production became a walk along the fine line between what is possible in the realm of perfection and of that which happens in a live performance. The results on this recording will hopefully, dear listener, make you want to keep an eye out for the next live concert of the German Marimba Duo...

The GMD thanks Aleksander Jensko for the professional design of this booklet, Page Woodworth for her competent translation, and Christian Kroeger for kindly allowing us to use his mansion as a studio.

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Wooden Music is for the most part a minimalistic piece. The title refers to the palisander wood bars of the marimba. It was written in the 1980`s, a time of great development in marimba music in the U.S. and Japan. Inspired by new playing techniques, Rich O`Meara created a piece for two marimbas, a combination which has become increasingly popular also among composers. In this piece, rhythmical patterns are repeated, slightly varied, and woven together to create an entirety. The artists draw on the whole dynamic gamut of the marimba, going from practically inaudible to a thundering intensity. One special marimba technique is the roll: a single note is repeatedly struck so quickly that a smooth surface of sound emerges. This can be heard especially well at the beginning and end of Wooden Music.

Johann Sebastian Bach`s Inventions with their baroque rhythms have a latent connection to percussion. This in itself would not be reason enough for the GMD to adapt these works for two marimbas. In this unique transcription, however, the instruments have been prepared in a fashion which makes them sound more like their African forerunners. This creates a fresh and novel interpretation of these well-known works. Bach would have been thrilled, having shown great interest himself in manifold innovations. Let yourself be inspired by the afromarimbaroque sounds!

Satoru Nakanishi`s Song of Earth for two marimbas was first published in 1996 and can now at the beginning of the 21st century be regarded as a typical example of avantgarde. Although the composer fulfills the widespread expectation of frequent dissonances, this piece is actually tonal in the broadest sense. Nakanishi addresses the great range of human life and nature with the span between dissonance and harmony. This, combined with a concentrated, powerful rhythm and rich timbre, makes Song of Earth a type of hymn to the life of this planet. The listener willing to discover something new will find here a tremendous world of sound that is truly a delight.

Rain Dance was composed by Alice Gomez and Marilyn Rife, two musicians from Texas, a region which most likely does not get as much rain as the lowlands of northern Germany, the home of the GMD. Inspired by the liveliness of this rain dance, and its effects on the gods, the GMD created a version with special maracas mallets which not only put the audiences under their spell, but now and then make for a couple of weeks of sunshine...

Effekthascherei was written in 1994 during a time in which I almost solely played so-called new music. This genre is often very serious and weighty, hindering that which in my opinion should not be missed in any musical presentation: the joy of it all. One of my reasons for writing the piece was to create some opposition to this situation. The other one was to take the acoustical possibilities of the marimba one step further, and also to go in a new direction. Little paper huts buzz on the wooden bars, resonators are struck, mallets lying on the wood jump around, the sticks of the mallets are used at first for striking the wood, and finally, in a frenzied finale, land in the resonators...
This all led to the title Effekthascherei (Gimmick) which was chosen somewhat tongue in cheek. The effects and the unique rhythmic structures in the piece express my personal delight and enjoyment in marimba playing. Andreas Schwarz

Mosaic is exactly that which its name suggests: a kind of puzzle made up of musical puzzle pieces, so-called patterns, which hold an almost magical fascination when put together. The composer, Nick Hubble, gave his piece the undertitle: for any two instruments. The GMD took him at his word and arranged the music for two original West African marimbas. The compositional density of this piece in 7/8 time gains from the lively, rattling sound of these balafones.

Tico Tico, a Latin American rumba by Zequinha Aberu, and Amorada, a well-known piece by the Brazilian, Waldir de Azevedo, are two arrangements which demonstrate the wide variety of music the marimba can offer. With this the GMD expresses their wish not to take everything all too seriously...

In African River, the GMD has succeeded in combining balafones, typical African primal instruments, with the western way of thinking and playing. This is reflected in the fixed structures and given musical themes in the composition (Europe), and the movement into totally free improvisation (Africa). This is why it is always unforeseeable how this piece will develop in concert. One thing, however, is certain: the result is always overflowing with life and the joy of playing. Since the essential spark for this is often missing in the studio, and because this is more important to the musicians than technical perfection, you are hearing a live performance from the Deutsches Meeresmuseum, Stralsund, Germany, on October 26, 2001.Tico Tico, a Latin American rumba by Zequinha Aberu, and Amorada

Around 1980 Paul Smadbeck was a successful marimba soloist and composer. Rhythm Song was written at this time as were his three etudes which are in fact full-fledged concert pieces for the marimba. Smadbeck later gave up both concertizing and composing to pursue a career in commercial real estate. He has recently appeared again on the music scene.
Rhythm Song is played unisono by the GMD as suggested by Smadbeck in his subtitle: for one or more marimbas. Despite his minimalistic approach, the composer added long melodic lines to this piece which develop it into an accentuated, influent performance.

The GMD has been on the road ever since with this jewel in their bags, bringing their audiences into contact with the marimba which even today is one of the lesser-known instruments. The repertoire of the duo has continually expanded. This was not originally planned by the musicians but has been received with great welcome by their audiences and the press.

The marimba is a typical live instrument: one to be seen, touched, just basically experienced. It makes it quite difficult to produce an audio recording as this lacks exactly those elements. At the same time, however, the desire to hear works originally written for marimba continues to increase. The technical side of this production became a walk along the fine line between what is possible in the realm of perfection and of that which happens in a live performance. The results on this recording will hopefully, dear listener, make you want to keep an eye out for the next live concert of the German Marimba Duo...

The GMD thanks Aleksander Jensko for the professional design of this booklet, Page Woodworth for her competent translation, and Christian Kroeger for kindly allowing us to use his mansion as a studio.