"Sugar Maple," the second movement of Splinter by Marc Mellits, is another one of our favorite movements from this piece. This movement especially highlights the reed quintet's ability to sound homogeneous. From the beginning, the bassoon and bass clarinet play alternating patterns that create a composite texture. The saxophone and clarinet at first join in with interjections but then also fall into the texture set up by the bass instruments. When the oboe enters, it's something completely different, with a soaring melody over the other instruments' perpetual motion. "Sugar Maple" is an excellent exercise in blending, and it's a fun and energetic movement that we love playing! We hope you enjoy it!
