SKU: P2.60046

For many years Jim Self has coached chamber music at The USC Thornton School of Music. He wrote Polarities in 2005 for his student quintets: The Self-Taught Brass and The Z Sharps. It was premiered by them at USC on April 17, 2005. It is a four-minute, one-movement, fanfare-like piece for Two Antiphonal Brass Quintets--al la Gabrielli. The sections are titled A la Fanfare, A la Scherzo and A la Waltz. Emphasizing the antiphonal effect is important to the overall sound with a lot of trading of passages between the instruments of each side. Each of the ten instruments has solo passages and rhythmic intricacies abound. The final half of the piece is a gradual build-up in intensity to the end. A Demo recording of Polarities was made by the Pacific Symphony Brass and is available in digital format.