Concertos on

percussion

The   Concerto   is   one   of   the   forms   of   classical music   that   were   established   relatively   early   in Italy.   The   word   comes   from   the   Latin   to   strive, which   encapsulates   the   concept   of   rival   forces working   against   each   other,   whilst   combining   to deliver    a    more    complex    and    elaborate    whole and     a     joint     resolution.     This     conversation between   solo   or   lead   instruments   and   the   rest of    the    orchestra    have    fascinated    composers, musicians   and   audiences   alike   ever   since.   For   a fuller    technical    exposition    you    might    try    the Wikipedia Concertos  page. We    had    not    expected    to    be    able    to    make percussion   arrangements   of   these   works   until we   discovered   that   the   Steel   Drums   were   able to   take   on   rhythmic   string   parts   and   show   them off   to   good   effect.   Sometimes   we   have   used   the Marimba   to   take   on   the   lead.   In   the   case   of   the Mendelssohn     piano     transcription     the     Mega Moog   synthesizer   provided   depth   in   the   bass and     heightened     the     drama     but     we     have generally   relied   on   the   Marimba   to   cover   the cello and bass parts.