China Beijing Music Festival – Andy Akiho, Seven Pillars: Sandbox Percussion: Ian Rosenbaum, Jonny Allen, Terry Sweeney, Victor Caccese. Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing, 11.10.2024. (TS)
Sandbox Percussion’s Seven Pillars © Beijing Music Festival
Seven Pillars, a formidable composition by American composer Andy Akiho, is not a piece for the faint of heart. This became abundantly clear following the invigorating performance at the esteemed Forbidden City Concert Hall, a highlight of this year’s Beijing Music Festival. Lasting a staggering eighty minutes, this piece presented a relentless wall of sound, epitomizing supreme virtuosity, grit, and infectious groove, manifestly executed by the talented Sandbox Percussion ensemble, including Ian Rosenbaum, Jonny Allen, Terry Sweeney, and Victor Caccese. Hailing from Brooklyn, this quartet not only commissioned the work but also received a Grammy Award nomination for their 2021 recording of it.
While standard percussion instruments such as vibraphones, marimbas, and bass drums were sourced locally, the Sandbox ensemble brought an array of unique instruments across the globe, including glass bottles and sets of meticulously tuned metal pipes. Enhancing the auditory experience, they also provided a captivating lighting setup created by US director and filmmaker Michael McQuilken. Initially unassuming when turned off, these multicolored tubes of light, strategically placed between the instruments, were controlled by the performers themselves, transforming the performance space in Beijing’s most iconic landmark into an otherworldly atmosphere akin to that of a spaceship’s inner sanctum.
In the early portion of the performance, untuned instruments, including drums, rubber bands, and cigar boxes, took center stage. With a lack of defined pitch or tonal center, my ears intuitively grasped the interplay of sounds, responding to the contrasting relationships between the higher and lower frequencies, the evolving intensity of rhythmic drive, and the captivating repetition, or unexpected variations, of Akiho’s meticulously structured cells of material. As the piece progressed, the expressive pitched instruments gradually emerged, giving rise to a harmonic framework, and surprisingly, long, fragmented strains of melody began to reverberate across the stage.
During a pre-concert press conference, Akiho shared insights with various Chinese journalists about the intricate, palindromic architecture underlying Seven Pillars. However, the relentless nature of the performance made those subtleties less perceptible. Instead, the musicians masterfully conjured an almost trance-inducing atmosphere that seemed to conquer time itself. The composition featured four distinct solos, one for each artist, as well as seven collaborative movements involving the entire quartet. Akiho, himself a percussionist, collaborated closely with the Sandbox musicians during the creative process, manifesting a performance that showcased their nearly superhuman rhythmic prowess and immaculate ensemble cohesion.
Before the performance commenced, Akiho was honored with the prestigious Young Artist award from the Beijing Music Festival. In his exuberant acceptance speech, he urged the audience to engage with Seven Pillars in whatever manner they desired. ‘You can get up, you can dance, you can scream, you can shout,’ he encouraged. ‘Enjoy it, fasten your seatbelts!’ He even granted permission for the audience to film the performance, which many attendees eagerly embraced. The onstage spectacle provided exceptional material for social media shares, captivating the audience’s attention. This was evident as, contrary to the usually reserved response from Chinese classical audiences, this particular crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause at the performance’s conclusion.
Tom Stewart
**Interview with Sandbox Percussion on the Performance of *Seven Pillars* at the Beijing Music Festival**
**Editor:** Welcome, everyone! Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with the members of Sandbox Percussion—Ian Rosenbaum, Jonny Allen, Terry Sweeney, and Victor Caccese—who recently delivered a compelling performance of Andy Akiho’s *Seven Pillars* at the Forbidden City Concert Hall as part of the Beijing Music Festival. Thank you all for joining us!
**Ian Rosenbaum:** Thanks for having us!
**Editor:** First off, congratulations on your mesmerizing performance! *Seven Pillars* is known for its intensity and complexity. Can you tell us what it was like to perform such a demanding piece in such an iconic venue?
**Terry Sweeney:** Performing at the Forbidden City Concert Hall was incredible. The venue itself adds a layer of gravity to any performance, and being able to present *Seven Pillars* there, where history meets modern art, was an unforgettable experience.
**Jonny Allen:** The energy from the audience was palpable. They really engage with what we do, and the acoustics in that space seemed to amplify every nuance of the piece.
**Editor:** You mentioned the unique instrumentation used in *Seven Pillars*, including some unconventional choices like glass bottles and tuned metal pipes. How did these choices enhance the overall experience of the performance?
**Victor Caccese:** The unique instruments are essential to capturing Andy’s vision. Each sound contributes to the tapestry of the music. The glass bottles, for instance, brought an element of richness and resonance that you wouldn’t typically encounter with traditional percussion instruments.
**Ian Rosenbaum:** And the tuned metal pipes added a magical quality—a sort of ethereal backdrop—that really resonates with our audience. It creates a sonic world that we can guide them through.
**Editor:** Along with the music, your lighting setup created a transformative atmosphere. Can you elaborate on how that visual aspect played into the performance?
**Terry Sweeney:** The lighting, controlled by us during the performance, really enhances the experience. Michael McQuilken did a fantastic job designing it to complement the piece. When the lights shift in sync with the music, it creates this immersive experience, almost like a visual embodiment of the sound.
**Jonny Allen:** It’s all about creating a dialogue between sound and sight. The lights helped convey the intensity and dynamics of the music, making it feel like a fully realized performance rather than just an auditory experience.
**Editor:** After such a highlight performance, what’s next for Sandbox Percussion?
**Victor Caccese:** We’ve got a couple of projects in the pipeline, including some collaborations with other composers and continuing to explore the boundaries of percussion music. This performance has definitely fueled our creativity!
**Editor:** That’s exciting! Thank you all for sharing your insights and experiences. It’s clear that *Seven Pillars* is not only a musical masterpiece but also a rich sensory experience that resonated with both you as performers and the audience. We look forward to seeing what you all do next!
**All:** Thank you!
Phere. Can you share a bit about how the lighting influenced the performance?
**Terry Sweeney:** Absolutely! The lighting, designed by Michael McQuilken, was integral to the overall experience. It wasn’t just about illumination; it was about enhancing the music. As we played, the multicolored lights shifted, reflecting the emotional landscape of the piece. At times, it felt like we were inside a living painting that responded to our rhythms, which added an extra layer of immersion for the audience.
**Editor:** That sounds incredible. Andy Akiho emphasized audience engagement during your performance. How did that manifest on stage and in the crowd?
**Jonny Allen:** Andy encouraged everyone to truly feel the music, whether that meant dancing, clapping along, or filming the performance. The response was overwhelming; the audience was more active than what we often see in classical concerts. It’s inspiring to witness that kind of interaction—it really fuels our performance.
**Victor Caccese:** Yes, it felt more like a shared experience rather than a traditional concert. We could feel their energy, which pushed us to deliver even more.
**Editor:** You’ve received high praise for your dedication to contemporary music, and the piece even earned you a Grammy nomination. How do you feel this performance at the Beijing Music Festival fits into that narrative?
**Ian Rosenbaum:** Each performance we do contributes to a larger conversation about contemporary music. Being in Beijing and sharing *Seven Pillars* with such an engaged audience was transformative. It reinforces why we do what we do—bringing new compositions to life and connecting with diverse audiences across the globe.
**Editor:** Thank you all for sharing your insights! It sounds like *Seven Pillars* was not just a performance but a profound experience. We look forward to seeing where your artistic journey takes you next.
**Sandbox Percussion:** Thank you for having us! We can’t wait to share more music with everyone in the future!