(ir)Radia[n]t(ed)

Listen to the work here!
(Note: The prepared vibraphone sounds in the piece are not always accurately reproduced in the MIDI audio linked above.)
 
(ir)Radia[n]t(ed) is a solo percussion work for prepared vibraphone, alongside six truncated oxygen tanks (referred to herein as “oxygen bells”). The vibraphone is prepared using aluminum foil, three crotales pitched in A, B, and C, and nine coins or other small pieces of metal. These items are added and removed from the vibraphone as the work progresses.
 
This work’s title uses rounded and square brackets to indicate the overlapping of two similarly spelled words: [Radiant] and (Irradiated). This piece takes on the character of imagined soundtrack music to an imagined science fiction film or television series, set in an alternate universe where the Earth’s orbit is slightly closer to the sun, but close enough that the radiation of the sun’s rays has mutated the human race into perpetually burning undead. (It may be noted that even the title of the work appears mutated.) This imagined universe was first conjured in a dream, and although I have no control over the machinations of my subconscious mind, I appreciate its ability to inspire new worlds, and in this case new solo vibraphone music. The sonic textures of the oxygen bells, crotales (which are played upside down), and sizzling coins provide an industrial and burning atmosphere, and the music itself is fast-paced, mysterious, and adventurous. (ir)Radia[n]t(ed) was commissioned by Collin Vanderkarr for his junior recital at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.