Plucked & Struck is a lovely new album by New York City-based chamber group Percussia. The album consists of duo performances by artistic director Ingrid Gordon (percussion) and Susan Jolles (harp). The instrumentation is quite unique in that Gordon mostly performs on Orff xylophone and Jolles on Celtic harp. The relative portability of these instruments is certainly an asset for traveling around the city!

The album has a wide variety of music that works very well within the limitations of the instruments (Orff xylophones only play in three keys, and the Celtic harp is tuned by hand levers). Sunny Knable’s “envelop(e)” and Seth Bedford’s “A Year in New York” were both composed for the duo and have a calm and relaxing aesthetic that is immensely enjoyable. Carlo Nicolau’s “Windows of Time,” also written for the group, has rhythmic material and clear melodies that contribute to its dramatic/cinematic sound. Nicolau also expands the percussive palette with the inclusion of additional small instruments. Angelica Negrón’s “Was I the Same When I Got Up This Morning?” has a gamelan sound that is conducive to the instrumentation.

The album also contains several older works and arrangements, including Lou Harrison’s“Avalokiteshvara” and “Jahla” (composed for harp and small percussion) along with his harp duet “Sonata in Ishartum” (arranged for harp and Orff xylophone). It is fabulous to hear these rarely performed works by an influential percussion composer! 

The remaining selections are Renaissance works, including two John Dowland pieces arranged by Jolles. The duo is joined by soprano Melissa Fogarty on “Sephardic Songs,” arrangements by composer Samuel Milligan of Ladino folk songs from the 16th century or earlier. On these we hear Gordon on drums as well as Orff xylophone. Finally, the duo performs Milligan’s arrangements of three French bourrées compiled by Joseph Canteloube. These don’t use Orff xylophone, instead using a drum sound, tambourine sound, and finger cymbals. All of these arrangements work nicely and serve to provide excellent contrast in the group’s repertoire.

This is a unique album that I highly recommend. The music is very pleasant, and I love the variety of music using limited instrumental means.