“Nights in the Gardens of Spain” – Timpani “Nights in the Gardens of Spain”, by Manuel de Falla, started as a series of solo piano nocturnes in 1909 but, encouraged by Ricardo Viñes, don Manuel converted them into a work for piano solo and orchestra. It was finished in 1915, the premiere taking place on… Continue reading “Nights in the Gardens of Spain” – Timpani
Tag: timpani
Timpani in Mendelssohn´s “Italian” symphony
Timpani in Mendelssohn´s “Italian” symphony Felix Mendelssohn wrote his Symphony No. 4 in A major, op. 90 (“Italian”) between 1832 and 1833 after a “Grand Tour” that took him to Italy between 1830 and 1831. It is the fourth symphony in his catalogue, but the third one in chronological order of composition. Again, the… Continue reading Timpani in Mendelssohn´s “Italian” symphony
Timpani in Mendelssohn´s “Scottish” symphony
Timpani in Mendelssohn´s “Scottish” symphony Felix Mendelssohn started composing his Symphony No. 3 in A minor, op. 56 (“Scottish”) in 1829 after a trip to Scotland (which also inspired him to write the overture “The Hebrides”), but the symphony was abandoned for more than a decade and it was completed between 1841 and 1842. It… Continue reading Timpani in Mendelssohn´s “Scottish” symphony
In memoriam Kurt-Hans Goedicke
In memoriam Kurt-Hans Goedicke Kurt-Hans Goedicke passed away on August, 22. After graduating at the Universitat der Kunste in Berlin, he joined the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra for a brief period of time. Since 1964 until his retirement in 2000, he was the timpanist for the London Symphony Orchestra. He was, also, the Head of… Continue reading In memoriam Kurt-Hans Goedicke
Timpani in “Falstaff” (G. Verdi)
Timpani in “Falstaff” (G. Verdi) Since the last couple of weeks I am in Valladolid playing a wonderful production of “Falstaff” (G. Verdi) together with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León under the baton of Óliver Díaz. As you already know, the timpani parts in Italian opera are often discussed because the “alien”… Continue reading Timpani in “Falstaff” (G. Verdi)
Carmina Burana revealed (part 1)
“Carmina Burana” revealed (part 1). On April 25, my first article dealing with the timpani and percussion parts in “Carmina Burana” (Carl Orff) was published on the GROVER PRO website. You can read it HERE. I hope you enjoy it. Please stay tuned for the next articles in the series. …et in… Continue reading Carmina Burana revealed (part 1)
Dresdner Apparatebau Jähne & Boruvka timpani
Dresdner Apparatebau Jähne & Boruvka timpani. I have been wanting a pair of timpani suitable for playing the repertoire of the 19th-century for quite some time so, because I have been a very good boy, I decided to include them in my letter to the Three Wise Men. To my surprise, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar… Continue reading Dresdner Apparatebau Jähne & Boruvka timpani
“Rapsodie Espagnole”, by Ravel
“Rapsodie Espagnole”, by Ravel. “Rapsodie Espagnole“, by Ravel, is not only an important work in the symphonic repertoire; it also features wonderfully written percussion parts. Sadly, both the score and the particelle are plaged with numerous mistakes and missprints that the first edition has perpetuated in many performances and recordings. Because I played this work… Continue reading “Rapsodie Espagnole”, by Ravel
Timpani in “Messiah”.
Timpani in “Messiah”. We are getting very close to “Messiah season” so, why not having a look at this perennial classic? This year I will be playing timpani for the Christmas concert while my colleagues are in the pit playing “Aida”. I have started preparing for the rehearsals and I have found some interesting… Continue reading Timpani in “Messiah”.
Home-made “Baguettes d´éponge”
Home-made “Baguettes d´éponge”. Berlioz was a composer who showed a real interest in percussion and greatly contributed to its development. Trying to improve the timpani sound, he advocated the use of different types of sticks to enrich the color palette produced by these instruments. One of the types of stick that he indicated was “baguettes… Continue reading Home-made “Baguettes d´éponge”