Steven Bryant

Originally written for solo piano in 1999, RedLine now exists in four arrangements, solo piano, wind ensemble, saxophone ensemble, and percussion quartet. This version for percussion quartet was commissioned by the SpinDrift Percussion Group. The rhythmic character and complexity of the piece makes it a perfect fit for a percussion ensemble.

The title is a play on the idea of “red-lining” an engine (i.e. pushing something to its limits) and the 1/9 subway (“red”) line in New York City, which I took to work each day when I worked at The Juilliard School from 1997-2006. It’s a fast, densely crowded train. The piece reflects the combination of these two ideas, and pushes the ensemble (and audience?) to the edge of endurance.

In 2017, Brian Zator and his student quartet at Texas A&M University – Commerce worked with me to extensively revise the piece, incorporating some prior revisions from Eric Willie (UNCG) and McKayla Phillips. That revised (version 2.0) is now available, and you can hear and watch a performance of it in this (really cool!) video made at TAMU-Commerce.

Commissioned by: SpinDrift Percussion Group