On Monday, SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts presents a unique (and free) opportunity to hear Bang on a Can co-founder Michael Gordon’s mesmerizing concert length percussion masterpiece Timber. Mantra Percussion, the innovative classical group that co-commissioned the piece, will be on hand to perform Timber on a set of six graduated, amplified Simantras. A Simantra, by the way, is basically just a 2-by-4 suspended from a stand. Each piece of wood is cut at a different length, giving each “instrument” a unique sound and range. This piece of music creates a trance-like effect as the percussionists “play” the 2-by-4's in a complex pattern of swelling and shifting poly-rhythms. The concert is free and takes place in the Taubman Atrium inside the Owens Arts Center, 6101 Bishop Blvd. For more information, visit mcs.smu.edu/calendar.
Mon., April 14, 8 p.m., 2014