Today’s Video of the Day is a performance of Christopher Cerrone’s ‘Ode to Joy’ by the Brooklyn-based percussion ensemble Sandbox Percussion. The piece will feature on Cerrone's new album Don't Look Down which is released on 21 February.

'Ode to Joy’ is Cerrone’s sixth composition to feature a percussion quartet, but only his first for a solely acoustic quartet. It was written for Sandbox Percussion who asked for a ‘relatively short, relatively simple’ piece in terms of instrumentation that they could take on tour without a need for a soloist or sound system.

To that end, ‘Ode to Joy’ is composed for vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, and crotales. Any other instruments required are limited to only those that fit in a small bag or suitcase.

Its title references the iconic Beethoven tune, but the more direct influence is the poem of the same name by New York native Frank O’Hara. On the connection, Cerrone says: ‘His poem iterates an enthusiastic passion for the city I have long called home.’