I’ll be playing the above music with the above instrument today in Millennium Park. With nearly 100 other performers. And there will be over a hundred drums. And over a hundred cymbals. And birdsong.
John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit was written to be performed outside. Part of the concept is that this allows the music to blend in with the surrounding natural environment, if not activate it. Millennium Park will provide a peculiar atmosphere; a green landscape surrounded by the city’s skyscrapers.
There’s also a chance today that it might rain. Percussion gear safety aside, I think Adams would be pretty excited by that possibility. I know I am.
You can hear organizer Doug Perkins and eighth blackbird percussionist Matthew Duval discussing the piece and giving a bit of a demo here. They come in around 6:00:
