Instrumentation: Oboe and 2 percussion
Percussion 1: 2 bongos, 3 rototoms, tambourine, 2 timables, large and small brake drum, medium tam-tam, bow
Percussion 2: 2 bongos, claves, flexatone and bow, 1 maraca, slapstick, 5 temple blocks, 2 tomtoms, vibraslap
Duration: 9:30
Commission: Percussionists I-Jen Fang and Mike Schutz
Premiere: 11/7/06
Percussionists I-Jen Fang and Mike Schutz, oboist Scott Perry
PASIC (Percussive Arts Society), Austin, Texas
Program Note:
Time to Burn, for oboe and two percussionists, was fueled by my rage and sadness at the burning that has erupted around us. One is hardpressed to keep track of it all. The past decade has been an era of renewed holocausts driven by ethnic and religious hatred. The rampant intolerance in our world is reminiscent of the “burning time” of the Inquisition or the burning of witches. Time to Burn was commissioned by percussionists I-Jen Fang and Mike Schutz and recorded with oboist Aaron Hill for the Time to Burn CD (Innova, 2014). It was premiered at the PASIC conference in 2006 with oboist Scott Perry.
Press Quotes:
“…Scored for oboe and two percussionists, it is a visceral reaction to world events, including holocausts and racism. The title refers back to the burnings of witches. The oboe part presents huge challenges (including multiphonics), magnificently overcome here by Aaron Hill, while the percussion element provides a terrifically exciting sense of momentum.” –Colin Clarke, Fanfare
“…Written in 2006, Time to Burn speaks of holocausts, not just the one in Germany, but more recent ones that no one has succeeded in stopping. Strain likens the ethnic and religious hatred of our own time to the Inquisition and the burning of witches. Her piece for oboe and percussion gives a moving description of 21st -century religious persecutions….Shatin’s music is powerful and most distinctive…” –Maria Nockin, Fanfare
“The title track Time to Burn is an engaging work for oboe and two percussionists. Extended techniques make the oboe sound almost like an electronic instrument in places. The interplay between the three instruments and the imaginative way in which they’re used gives the music a sense of energy and even urgency.” –Ralph Graves, WTJU Classical Comments