Impact
for orchestra
Instrumentation: 3-3-3-3; 4-3-3-1; timpani, 3 percussion, harp, piano, strings
Percussion Instruments (in addition to timpani):
Bar Chimes, Triangle, Splash Cymbal, Sizzle Cymbal, Chinese Cymbal, Small Suspended Cymbal, Medium Suspended Cymbal, Large Suspended Cymbal, Heavy Tam-tam, Slapstick, Vibraslap, 3 Snare Drums with contrasting sounds (high, medium, low), Conga, 3 Bass Drums (if a third bass drum is not available, substitute with a mounted kick drum), 5 String Bows, Crotales, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Vibraphone, Marimba
Duration: ca. 8 minutes
Year Composed: 2013
Premiere performance by the Mexican National Symphony Orchestra on May 16, 2014
Additional performances by the Shepherd School Symphony (1/14/15) and Cabrillo Festival Orchestra (8/16/15)
Score is 11x17, Parts are 9 x 12.
*Use the Rental Inquiry Form for a parts rental quote.
Digital perusal score available upon request.
Program Notes
Impact is an eight-minute work for large orchestra that explores an aural gesture best described as a heavy thud. This gesture, which opens the work in its clearest form, is a steep drop from the upper register of the orchestra to its depths. Each time the gesture plummets to the bottom, the impact of this arrival generates various “resonances” – shards of harmonic or melodic material that proceed to develop on their own, contributing to subsequent thuds and eventually blooming into more lyrical sections of music. Along the way, the thudding gesture is dissected, reversed, and fragmented before finally regaining its original form and prominence near the end. One giant, swirling thud brings the work to a rumbling close. — Charles Halka
Cabrillo Festival Orchestra (Live)
Marin Alsop, conductor
★★★★★
“The concert began with the West Coast premiere of Impact, composed in 2013 by Charles Halka. The program note and title were too technical and vague, respectively, to inspire high expectations, but the eight-minute piece proved to be a real gem. It began in the highest most delicate part of the percussion and proceeded to descend through the entire orchestra gaining more and more instruments and volume of sound until it hit bottom with—well—an impact. Alsop worked the orchestra like a movie camera, with wide-angles, close-ups (including solos) and midrange shots. Halka displayed a keen understanding of an orchestra’s essential resources and kept the imagery in sharp focus.”
2015 Cabrillo Festival - Photos by RR Jones
★★★★★
“Charles Halka’s “Impact” was a great piece to begin the program as it explored the extreme ranges of the instruments, both in their tonal range and in their dynamics.”