No tall tulips in a tale of Dutch timps
OrchestrasThere’s a new documentary out on the life of percussionists and timpanitsts in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Watch the trailer here.
Or here:
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10 years ago there was a documentary “Royal Orchestra” fantastic about the 125th anniversary of the RCO. I fond it in DVD.
‘percussionists and timpanitsts’
Related to timpanists?
It’s about time that drummers get proper recognition!!
It’s an excellent percussion section. Pitch accuracy on the timpani is one of the hallmarks of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. That, and generally superb woodwinds (the relatively steep tiers help to project the woodwinds outward).
‘pitch accuracy on the timpani is one of the hallmarks of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’
This is not a thing. Literally nobody (outside of the RCO and their marketing department) says it or thinks it.* This is like saying ‘remembering to not run out of breath is one of the hallmarks of the Dresden Staatskapelle woodwind’. See? It’s so obvious and unremarkable, it’s completely meaningless.
*And a quick tour around the RCO discography would tell you that it’s not even true.
Are you percussionist? . . . I suggest you take that same argument to people who ARE percussionists. Timapni playing at the Concertgebouw has been held in high esteem among percussionists for decades, just as Vic Firth (Boston) and Saul Goodman (N.Y.) were held in high esteem in the states. And yes, I have many recordings with the Concertgebouw. Further more, the woodwinds in the Dresden Staatskapelle have a reputation for being excellent as well. What would you suggest people do, walk away from a concert and say, “boy, those woodwinds were excellent. But I really shouldn’t mention it, because it’s so obvious, unremarkable and meaningless”? Get a life.
I am a percussionist and timpanist with 25+ years experience playing with professional orchestras in Europe and America. I have never, ever come across anyone – performer, critic, conductor or audience member – anywhere who has commented that in your own words ‘pitch accuracy on the timpani is one of the hallmarks of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’ for the simple reason that it isn’t. It isn’t a ‘hallmark’ of any orchestra. Every good orchestra (or rather its timpanist) has ‘pitch accuracy on the timpani’. It’s a fundamental part of the job, like, for example, the woodwinds not running out of breath; I picked the Dresden orch only as a completely random example of another ‘top’ band. And of course you can hold players / orchestras in high esteem, but you don’t need to do this by making stuff up that you think makes you sound clever. Have a nice day, Barry.
Definition of percussionists: hoarders of objects that will make a sound when beaten. Like to hang around musicians. Spend most of their time setting up/taking down equipment and counting rest. Nice, pragmatic people, like violists and double bass players.
I shall be curious to view that if it is ever available in the USA.
A rarefied pursuit.
I recall a friend of mine saying the highlight of his professional percussionist life was being paid “full-scale” to perform a single cymbal crash in a symphony.
I don’t remember the source but I remember reading years ago that the Boston Symphony had been engaged to appear at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco during a transcontinental tour. Karl Muck, who was then the BSO’s music director insisted on programming one performance of the Tchaikovsky Pathetique Symphony on the entire tour, to be given in San Francisco. Muck said that he needed an extra percussionist to go on the tour to strike the tympani the one time it is used, in the 4th movement, much to the disgruntlement of the BSO Board and especially Colonel Higginson, who underwrote the BSO’s deficits. Muck stood his ground and the under-employed percussionist went on the tour for his one note. During the actual performance the nervous percussionist missed his cue and the gong was unheard. Muck left the unhappy man in San Francisco.
Where it says “tympani” in line 6, I intended to type “gong”.
There’s also the single triangle note in “Knoxville, Summer of 1915” by Samuel Barber.
A particular symphony in mind?