The Narrows

Item details

Description +
- Duration: 3 min.
  
  The Narrows is named after The Narrows in Perth, Western Australia. It is a section of the Swan River with a bridge that connects Perth’s two freeways - in this way, it is a crossroad that can take you to anywhere in the city. This place has a special place in my heart, as many hours have been spent walking, sitting and pondering the crossroads in my own life here. This piece reflects these crossroads.
  
  Joey Eng
Instrumentation +
- Solo Marimba (4.3)
About the composer +
- Joey Eng (b. 2001) is a percussionist, composer and educator from Perth, Western Australia. He has performed and given masterclasses to audiences in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Joey was the winner of the 2022 Warana Concerto Competition and a fi nalist in both the inaugural 2019 and the 2021 Marimbafest international solo marimba competition, in which he won 2nd prize and the audience choice award.
  
  A multi-skilled percussionist and collaborator, Joey has performed with many orchestras across Australia including the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, Perth Symphony Orchestra, Australian Baroque, and the Australian Youth Orchestra. He was also a member and soloist with the World Percussion Group.
  
  As a composer, Joey’s solo percussion and chamber works are being performed regularly by thousands around the world and are on the repertoire lists for multiple notable competitions, including Marimbafest, the Australian Marimba Competition, and the East Switzerland Solo Competition. He has been commissioned by many ensembles/organizations, including the World Percussion Group, Edition Svitzer, Edith Cowan University, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and the Silver Sands Guitar Quartet. His compositions have been featured multiple times in the Percussive Notes magazine.
  
  Joey completed his Bachelor of Music from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, receiving the 2022 WAAPA Medal as the top graduate of the entire university. As an educator, he was a lecturer specialising in keyboard percussion studies at Edith Cowan University and has taught high school percussionists across schools in Perth, with his students winning a multitude of awards including the Premier of WA Award and the 2023 Marimbafest Open Class Ensemble 1st Prize.
  
  Joey is a Premier Artist for instrument manufacturer Marimba One (USA) and is endorsed by Salyers Percussion and Encore Mallets (USA). His compositions are published by Edition Svitzer (Denmark).
Reviews +
- Review (Percussive Notes, April 2025)
  
  “Simply delightful” is how I would describe The Narrows — a rare addition to the repertoire that is genuine and accessible to audiences and performers. As a jaded veteran of marimba repertoire, I cannot recall the last time I listened to a marimba solo and immediately wanted to listen again. The piece is reminiscent of shorter works by Paul Smadbeck and Eric Sammut, with a little Matthias Schmidt for good measure. It is a great use of melody interlaced within a groovy pattern. Frequent use of key changes keeps everything fresh for the listener. The challenge for the performer will be keeping track of the melody and making sure everything is balanced.
  
  This piece presents a lot of opportunity for marimba players who have a grasp of four-mallet basics and want to grow their technical and musical chops — providing lots of good single independent and single alternating stroke practice. Everyone will like playing this, and everyone will enjoy listening to it.
  
  —Joe Millea
Credits +
- Front Cover Graphics and Layout: Nicola Lee
  Photo: Joey Eng
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition SVITZER
  www.editionsvitzer.com

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