Spiraling Light by Nathan Daughtrey is a dark, driving percussion octet inspired by an event in Norway in December of 2009, when a blue mysterious beam of light with a grayish spiral emanating from it appeared in the night sky. Initial speculations suggested it was a fireball meteor, a rare never-before-seen Northern Lights variant, or even a wormhole opening up. Unfortunately, it turned out to be much less exciting than any of those things – a failed Russian missile test. Spiraling Light attempts to capture this brief moment of mystery, uncertainty, and intensity.The piece features a balanced ensemble of 4 keyboard and 4 battery accessory percussion.Number of players: 8Difficulty: IntermediateInstrumentationPlayer 1: xylophone, bellsPlayer 2: vibraphonePlayer 3: 4-octave marimba*Player 4: 4.3-octave marimba*Player 5: 4 timpaniPlayer 6: snare drum, 4 toms, triangle, wind chimesPlayer 7: kick bass laid flat [or multi-bass drum], concert bass drumPlayer 8: tam-tam, suspended cymbal, hi-hat, claves*Percussion 3 & 4 may share one 4.3-octave marimba.
