We understand the auditions for principal timpanist ended without resolution.
None of the four candidates succeeded. It was decided that Jauvon Gilliam of the National Symphony Orchestra will occupy the position on a temporary basis throughout the coming season.
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Gilliam is the ideal player for this one year gig. He is an excellent musician but timid. A wallflower of sorts. But that is what this orchestra wants, to follow in the footsteps of Paul Y. He will end up getting the gig. And dei has nothing to do with it. Best timpanist on the planet is Raymond Curfs, Abbado’s favorite. Check out Lucerne performing Mahler 7 with Abbado. Curfs artistry is amazing. Especially in the quiet sections.
What is wallflower Timpanist? JG is not timid. He’s a great player. Best Timpanist, Ed Stephan in SF.
I’ve never cared for Gilliams playing, particularly. But then I haven’t heard a lot of it.
The best timpanist in the world is Jauvon Gilliam hands down. Nobody else can touch his artistry, note placement and tone color. A wallflower he is not.
Jauvon is the GOAT.
Setting aside the fact that there can be no way to determine who the best in the world is – what a ridiculous assertion – Jauvon does indeed have a good sound. He values one particular sound. He also seems to be solid in the ensemble. But he often looks as though he’d rather be folding laundry than playing music. He rarely comes alive, and certainly doesn’t take the musical chances that other more adventurous musicians take. That’s his style and many seem to like it. Let’s all agree that he is one out of a select group of top players out there, but the best he is not. And I would never insult any of the musicians who belong in this select group by suggesting that any one of them is the best. Let’s appreciate that there is variety among them.
I’m a season ticket holder (sixth year of springing for the whole shebang) and I utterly disagree. Jauvon never makes an unnecessary move on one hand, and on the other hand his moves are purposeful and so watchable. At rest, he sits with arms and mallets crossed. He is calculating of every stroke from placement to follow through. I find him to be most watchable without being show-offy.
As of April 2024 I hear no-one was hired, and I am disappointed. I think Jauvon Gilliam’s time here has beendistinguished.
ab incredible musician. They should keep him at any cost.
Most anyone would be an improvement over the previous TCO timpanist, who seemed preternaturally hesitant to ever play out — even when it was absolutely essential to do so given the acoustic characteristics of Severance Hall.
Absolute hogwash.
This may be the most ignorant comment I’ve ever read on this site, and that’s saying a lot.
Cleveland timpani were never their best asset , just like Philadelphia, compared to Chicago or NY. Were there even any with Szell? Donhanyi fixed it but Welser most went back to Szell… some conductor still considerate this instrument vulgar…. good luck hearing it with Karajan…
Philly’s timpanist Don Liuzzi: https://www.philorch.org/about-us/meet-your-orchestra/musicians/don-s.-liuzzi/
He’s one of the best!
Don Liuzzi is indeed one of the best.
Cloyd Duff was principal under Szell and he retired in Maazel’s penultimate season as MD. I always enjoyed his playing. Orchestra Timpani playing today seems to have a softer sound and greater range as reflected in PY’s playing, but a lot has to do with the MD. In his first season when playing for Maazel (his last as MD), the playing was more traditional like Duff. In some of Dohnanyi’s Decca recordings, however, PY sounds like his playing is over miked.
It’s only vulgar when it’s out of tune and time. Sound matters too. Cleveland has one of if not the best timpani traditions anywhere. Intonation, touch, musicianship, consistency and so on.
The timpanist during Szell’s time was Cloyd Duff. I loved listening to his playing. He was a great musician and he made the timpani sound like a beautiful instrument.
Get real. Cloyd Duff was a fabulous musician, like nearly all the first chairs of the Szell era. Daniel Majeske, Lynn Harrell, Myron Bloom, George Goslee, Harvey McGuire, etc. It was no accident they were considered the best orchestra in the country…and still are.
Don’t forget Robert Marcellus, Marc Lifschey, John Mack, Maurice Sharp, and Bernard Adelstein.
I don’t know what you’re talking about. Cloyd Duff was a legend. Just listen to the first Boulez/Cleveland “Rite.”
In important transition occurred during the Maazel era: Duff switched from calfskin to plastic because Maazel wanted him to play louder than Szell, which caused him to keep breaking the calfskin heads.
Perhaps that’s your issue.
Maybe because Severance Hall is on the smaller size it cannot handle the maximum volume like other halls like Carnegie, etc. George Szell always tried to keep the brass and percussion down. He once said in a rehearsal to the brass “let’s not blast our subscribers out of Severance Hall”.
Really? Never sounded like he kept Adelstein down.
Can someone check to see if the information is accurate that JG was one of the four finalist?
JG did not attend the audition.
What’s there to doubt?
That’s awkward.
You’re good enough but… you’re not good enough.
In high school, the timpani player was the drummer who could figure out the pitch pipe and the foot pedal.
I guess this is some more rarefied level of timpanist they search for.
After having played in orchestras for almost 40 years I have come to the conclusion that the instruments that can sound the worst must be among the most difficult to play. Horn, trumpet and timpani. I have heard so many bad timpanists, bad sound, intonation, you name it. At least when the brass sounds bad it is obvious even to the conductor that doesn’t have a clue. Not so the timpani. They can and do get away with murder, and the conductor doesn’t even notice.
Good ones notice.
Tuning fork is the method for timpanists. Pitch pipes are clear pitched enough and make too much noise.
F W-M is extremely particular as to who he chooses to join TCO.
We once attended a mock audition with Jauvon. At one point he played a very soft and quickly articulated roll. I later commented it sounded like a sustained note on a string bass. He was quite pleased as that was exactly the sound he had in mind.
Fantastic musician. I suspect Cleveland will very much enjoy his tenure.
This must be why Franz chose him to play with TCO on a temporary basis and may very well be hired as a new member of the orchestra. Every member of the orchestra that Franz has chosen has been exceptional. This is why TCO has continued to be considered America’s finest.
Just wish his interpretation and conducting were better.
Please let me know if an excellent TCO recording made by FW-M and I’ll give it a listen; so far, I haven’t found one (his Korngold symphony with LPO is wonderful).
Wouldn’t mind if they took Herbert from CSO, maybe we could get a principal timpani here who actually wants to work for the exorbitant salary. The guy barely ever plays and when he does he’s always ahead of the ensemble since he’s so out touch. I go to the Symphony hall every week and I swear he didn’t play more than a quarter of the season, Karpinos constantly filling in (not that I mind since he’s far superior to Herbert). But even now, with Karpinos out long-term with a broken leg, he barely shows up in Ravinia. Vast majority of the concerts were played by the principal of Lyric or some young man I am not familiar with. More and more people in the CSO who’s tenure should be revoked with Muti’s exit.
Don koss had no technique but I’m told from a cso brass player that he had solid rhythm and was always in tune.
And think that he’s considered one of Muti’s “best hires”.
Yet it is unlikely that Cleveland would take him, they have different prerequisites for hiring. By Lake Erie, they are looking for word class musicians. By Lake Michigan, they kick away world class musicians, and rather hire family members, friends of friends, and folks who are culturally inclined to kiss Muti’s ring (e.g., they go visit when he’s sick with covid at the hotel a-la EB ; they invite him for home cooked dinners, again a-la EB).
Basically, being servile to Muti has been the only path in Chicago for more than a decade. You can then play horribly, loud, stick out like a sore thumb as much as you want (again a-la EB), but you are set.
Cleveland is different, much different. Just hear the two orchestra play and you’ll know what I mean.
Tenure doesn’t just get revoked. A music director can start a firing process. There is no tenure revoke.Dave’s a great player. As for how much he plays I can’t speak for but if you don’t like him, then be happy that he doesn’t play that much. BTW, timpanists play on top of the beat because they are in the back of the orchestra, or on the side, where there’s a delay. I’ve never heard him sound early on a consistent basis. Just remember the timpani sound from before around 2006 or so.Dave and Vadim have turned around that tradition for good.
I am surprised to hear this especially about this timpanist and also criticism’s of some others in the great Chicago Symphony.
For me best timpanist in US is Marcus rhoten in ny. Maazel, who rewrites timp parts for Beethoven and other composers, installed him.
Jauvon is a fantastic timpanist. One of the best…when he plays. Will he actually work at the Cleveland Orchestra? He is rarely at the National Symphony, choosing to play far less than all the other principals. And, when he does come to work, he’s usually checking his phone or his laptop between entrances. He runs a lucrative side business called Capital Percussion. Even the Kennedy Center is his patron. Surely the Clevelanders won’t mind if he carries out a little business while the maestro gives instruction.
It’s simply untrue that Jauvon Gilliam is “rarely at” NSO concerts. A few years ago, Noseda appointed an Assistant Principal (Scott Christian), and he and Gilliam share duties in the same way that other principals/assistant principals do.
It’s quite easy to note who the timpanist is at a performance of the NSO, because he is on a raised platform right in the middle of the rear stage.
@Mock you don’t know much. Stick to Mahler. Hopefully they have good cell reception in Severance Hall. Jauvon needs it.
It seems that some of the people who commented need to be educated on timpani in an orchestra. Let me help you. The Timpanist is third after the concertmaster and oboist in terms of ranking. They enforce rhythm. It’s kind of important. Also, any one who has heard out of tune and/or time timps knows it is an orchestra killer. Cleveland has a great timpani tradition going back to Cloyd Duff before Paul Yanchich. Jauvon will be a great fit. He’s got a sweet sound and doesn’t overplay. You don’t need to at Severence. Szell worked with Duff to find a certain sound that works for that orchestra in that hall. It’s rare that a conductor takes that much time to do that nowadays. Those concepts are still being used today in Cleveland.
No man, trumpet is third.
Each generation of orchestral timpanists has gotten better and better, as it should be. There are many great players today and David Herbert is one of the best of them. I think I’m in a big club in saying this. By the way, his predecessor Donald Koss was widely regarded as one of the worst.
Don Koss had a unique and distinguished career in the C.S.O. Trained in mathematics – but had a lot more brains and heart in his playing than most of you jealous and musically constipated underlings. Was there for a long long time – I always enjoyed hearing him and hope he appreciated every minute of it!
Jauvon is one of the best. Incredible sound and incredibly easy to play with! Hopefully NSO will find a way to keep him. That would be a huge loss!
Jauvon is just fine for this temporary appointment. Why is this being so hotly contested? I’ve never been a fan of the Cleveland timpani tradition , personally. I prefer the much more dynamic playing of Ed in SF or Tim in Boston, for example. But the Cleveland tradition is obviously important to TCO, so they obviously want to limit their candidates to those who represent it.
I don’t know why everyone cares so much about this. An orchestra and its music director deserve to hire the musician they want. This particular appointment isn’t even a permanent one. He is a fine player. Several great timpanists still roam the continent. Tim G, Ed S, Don L, Dave H… They each bring defining characteristics to their orchestras. Jauvon is a nearly identical player to Paul Y, and if they have enjoyed Paul’s qualities, why would they not want to continue in that tradition, at least for the interim…
I believe it was Gilliam who played in a few concerts I played in with the orchestra and attended this summer? He had a prominent role in Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 and sounded excellent from where I was sitting on stage! Great tone and rhythmic drive. Some of the best timpani playing I’ve heard.
You will never hear a timpanist with better intonation and precision than Jauvon. His playing looks effortless and the drums sing. A true musician. Cleveland is extremely lucky to have him.