GARGANTUA is an epic new composition of bombastic extremes for a large ensemble consisting of three drum sets, three electric basses, three trombones, three french horns, and three voices — by Simon Hanes (Tredici Bacci).

The title of the work is inspired by Rabelais’ 16th century pentalogy Gargantua and Pantagruel. The compositional strategy is also inspired by the Icelandic sagas, Finnish, Celtic, Welsh and Greek mythology, medieval brass music, renaissance polyphony, Ukrainian trembita music, the long horns of Tibet, Scottish pipe & drum music, 70s hard rock, American minimalism and turn of the century European avant-garde music.

The ensemble’s instrumentation is designed to capture and provide maximum possibility for new heights of epicness, volume, and extremity — both terrifying and explosively joyous.

Drum sets and electric basses will provide the rhythmic and tonal foundation & backbone for the work; trombones and french horns will express the gamut of cultural references in the piece — the clarion call of Nordic battles; and the voices are fundamentally representative of the human condition.