Crossing the Threshold
for percussion ensemble and piano
Crossing the Threshold is an intricate work by Chad Heiny for 11 percussionists and piano. It symbolizes the popular narrative concept of “The Hero’s Journey” in which a hero departs on an adventure, triumphs through crisis, and ultimately returns enlightened and transformed by the experience. While not entirely programmatic, its arc also suggests the ongoing journey of a talisman – an object passed along from person to person, and generation to generation.
A richly orchestrated piece for intermediate-advanced ensembles, performers must frequently maintain independent lines that serve to weave a broader musical tapestry. Special techniques like bowed vibraphones, crotales performed like finger cymbals in a variety of ways, and numerous energetic, drummy interjections ultimately create a wide spectrum of colors representative of contemporary percussion composition.
Crossing the Threshold ships as a printed, professionally bound score, and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or tablet viewing.
- Glockenspiel
- Crotales (4 notes removed and played like finger cymbals, need both octaves)
- Xylophone
- 3 vibraphones
- 3 marimbas — (2) low A, (1) 5-octave)
- Piano
- Drums — bongos, doumbek, field drum, kick drum (mounted), piccolo snare drum, tamborim
- Cymbals & gongs — small crash cymbal, 2 sizzle cymbals, tam-tam
- Accessories — bell tree, caxixi (2), claves, mark tree (echo tree if possible), sleigh bells, small tambourine, sonic energy bell, 2 triangles
Reviews
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Justin Bunting –
This piece, commissioned by the Park City Education Foundation for the Park City High School Percussion Ensemble in Utah, was inspired by Joseph Campbell’s monomyth as outlined in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Chad Heiny creates a musical image of a journey, either personal or of an object through generations. In just over five minutes, the listener is taken on this journey through a range of musical textures.
“Crossing the Threshold” is scored for 11 percussionists and a pianist. Some extended techniques that are called for are explained clearly in the performance notes. These techniques include crotales played like finger cymbals (struck, choked, and swirled) and the use of a sonic energy bell. The piece includes sixteenth-note runs in some of the keyboard parts. There are a few passages of three-mallet playing in various parts, but the keyboard parts mostly consist of two-mallet work. No individual part is overly difficult, but the resulting sound is complex and evocative of the tension and release of a long journey. Thus, the challenge is in the musical and expressive presentation of the piece.
I recommend this piece for an established high school or university percussion ensemble. It is accessible and satisfying to players and audiences. It would work well anywhere on a concert program.