This second recording on Albany Records of the music of the distinguished American-born Canadian composer Michael Horwood features his music for percussion. The inspiration for the series of Piece Percussioniques, as well as the impetus for composing for percussion ensemble, came from two influential sources for the teen-aged Horwood: the innovative programming of Lukas Foss during his tenure with the Buffalo Philharmonic and from Horwood’s exposure to the music of Edgard Varèse. These works for percussion ensemble span Horwood’s compositional career: Piece No. 1 was written when he was 17 and Piece No. 6 is his most recent and final composition.

1. Piece Percussionique No.1

2. Piece Percussionique No.3

3. Piece Percussionique No.4

4. Dynamite

5. The Shadow of Your Drum

6. Piece Percussionique No.5

7. Little Bow Piece

8. Mathematics

9. Fragments

10. Piece Percussionique No.6 Requiem