Michael Nyman - Marimba Concerto: “gdm“ (2006)

Co-commissioned by the Tivoli Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and De Doelen, ’gdm’ is a concerto for amplified marimba and orchestra inspired by the iconic Routemaster buses of London. Its name derives from a 2001 quote from then-London mayor Ken Livingstone who claimed that anyone who wanted to replace the Routemaster was a ’ghastly dehumanized moron’; ironically, it was he who ended up phasing out the entire line of buses by 2005 due to a government mandate. The concerto consists of a single movement divided into eight sections, each representing a Routemaster bus line. Much as bus lines in real life intersect with one another, musical themes appear and reappear throughout the piece. As this piece has not yet been recorded for commercial release, this is a simulation created in Sibelius using the Note Performer soundfont. Orchestration: solo amplified marimba with piccolo, flutes, oboes, English horn, clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoons, French horns, trumpet