Tango for Two

Item details

Description +
- Preface
  
  Tango for Two’ is a light hearted piece, beginning with a Tango rhythm in the marimba and melody in the vibraphone. During the piece the roles of accompanist or soloist frequently swap around. The music has more fiery moments as the players sometimes compete with each other for centre stage, but it’s always playful at heart. Just like a dance, ‘Tango for Two’ works best when the players are in perfect accord with each other.
  
  Edmund Jolliffe
Instrumentation +
- Marimba and Vibraphone
About the composer +
- Edmund’s music draws on a huge range of styles and influences. He writes music for film and television and is also an award-winning concert composer.
  
  Recent commissions include pieces for the ABRSM, the Pink Singers, the Royal Academy of Music, the London Chinese Children’s Ensemble, and Oxford University Press Collections. His choral music is available from OUP, Stainer and Bell, and Banks Music. Many of his pieces are set works on the ABRSM syllabus (initial grade piano and clarinet).
  
  First Prizes include: Orpheus Academy Chamber Music Competition, Austin, Texas, USA (first and second prize); Eastern Michigan University Choral Competition, USA; Kantos Chamber Choir Carol Competition; Freudig Singers Choral Composition Competition, USA; Ithaca College Choral Composition Competition, USA; Amadeus Choir Songwriting Competition, Canada; Ely Consort Advent Composing Competition; Hendrix Candlelight Carol Competition, USA; Renée B. Fisher Composer Award, USA.
  
  He has been writing music to picture for over twenty years. Major series he has composed music for include The Traitors, Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1), Homestead Rescue (Discovery), Sort Your Life Out (BBC1), Grand Designs: The Street (C4), Crazy Delicious (C4/Netflix), Long Lost Family (ITV1), and Unreported World (C4). He was nominated for an RTS Craft and Design Award for his score for the BBC film Elizabeth at 90.
  
  He taught composition for many years at the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College of Music (Junior Departments) and also lectured in Composing for the Moving Image at City University.
  
  In 2021, Odense Percussion, led by Søren Monrad, commissioned a new ensemble piece by Edmund called The Game, which was world-premiered at the Danish National Academy of Music, Denmark on November 15, 2021.
  
  More information about him can be found at: www.edmundjolliffe.com
  
  Information current to August 2025
Reviews +
- Review (Percussive Notes, June 2022)
  
  “Tango for Two” is a fun duet for vibraphone and marimba. Both parts are equal in difficulty and use two-mallet technique throughout. Although there are a few challenging leaps in the marimba part that might be slightly easier with four mallets, my opinion is that there is not enough two-mallet literature out there, and “Tango for Two” can easily help fill that gap. There are also some quick double-stop passages that will prove challenging in terms of flow and accuracy. Both players perform melody and accompaniment at different points, giving ample opportunity for musicality.
  
  Musically, this appealing work reminds me of the Gary Burton/Astor Piazzola album The New Tango, and it includes some lovely Beatles-esque harmony. Based on this, one would expect key changes and numerous instances of chromaticism, which “Tango for Two” certainly delivers. The tempo gradually increases for much of the piece, with an extremely fast and exciting tempo by the end. This piece is suitable as an encore and/ or a fun addition to a recital.
  
  — Joseph Van Hassel
Credits +
- Front Cover graphics and layout: Nicola Lee
  Engraving: CPH Engraving
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition SVITZER
  www.editionsvitzer.com

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