The Games We Play for marimba and piano

Throughout our lives we play games, from the innocent Hide and Seek played by toddlers to the deadly serious games played by our political leaders. Games can be as solitary as Patience or as universal as the Olympics. The most enjoyable games are those where we pit ourselves against others. The object of a game is usually simple but its rules can be deceptively complex and even change as the game develops. We become involved in games without knowing how we got into them, how to play or even how to stop playing them. No game has a certain outcome and the element of chance can upset even the safest predictions.

The score of The Games We Play can be seen as a set of rules involving pitch, duration, volume etc. for the players to adhere to with the ultimate goal of ending together! You will hear the game develop and become more complex, moving through sections of light hearted childplay to more serious competition. What interests me most is the fact that no matter how constraining my instructions are, the piece will always be embellished and often improved upon by the unique contribution of the players at each performance.