Concerto No.2 for Timpani and Orchestra "Pavilions"
General Info
Year of Published: 2019
Duration: 00:35:00
Movements
Movement 1: Pavilion of Dragons (mvt. 1—6)
Movement 2: Pavilion of the Moon (mvt.7-8)
Movement 3: Pavilion of Mirrors (mvt. 9—16)
Movement 4: Pavilion of Memory (mvt. 17-18)
Movement 5: Pavilion of Drums (mvt.19-24)
Instrumentation
Solo
Extended Timpani 6 Large Timpani and 10 Tenor Timpani
Orchestra
Woodwinds
Piccolo
Flute 1/2/3 (3rd Doubling Alto Flute)
Oboe 1/2
English Horn
Clarinet 1/2/3 (3rd Doubling Bass Clarinet)
Bassoon 1/2
Contra Bassoon
Brass
French Horn 1/2/3/4
Trumpet 1/2/3 (1st Doubling Piccolo Trumpet & Flugelhorn)
Trombone 1/2
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Percussion
Player 1: Vibraphone & Triangle & Whip
Player 2: Glockenspiel & Bongos & Tom-Toms & Spurs
Player 3: Marimba & Snare Drum & Tambourine & Chimes
Player 4: Tam-Tam & Gong & Opera Gong & Crash Cymbals & Suspended Cymbal
Player 5: Taiko & Temple Blocks & Maracas & Sizzle Cymbal & Rain Stick
Keyboard
Strings
Violin 1/2
Viola 1/2
Cello 1/2
Double Bass 1/2
Program Notes
Extended timpani adds small suspended timpani to the usual large floor drums. These small drums extend the range of the timpani into the treble clef. For this concerto I use ten small drums and a set of 6 big drums. These 16 timpani have a range of the low “c” string of a cello, up to the “a” played by the oboe to tune the orchestra. David Herbert, the timpanist of the Chicago Symphony owns these small drums and had them made for the 2nd Timpani Concerto by William Kraft. It is this set of “tenor” timpani that this concerto was written for and premiered on.
This work asks for a great deal of virtuosity from the soloist and the orchestra alike. The timpanist in this is literally surrounded/encircled by drums. The bigs drums go from low to high, while the small drums suspended above go from high to low. It is a challenge of remembering where each note is placed, large distances between notes(a meter between a whole step) and the actual kinetics of performing the patterns of stickings on 16 surfaces. This concerto’s musical structure is threefold - 24 small movements played without pause are then grouped into 5 larger movements forming one continuous work of 35 minutes. The idea of pavilions scattered in a Chinese garden offering focal points and places to sit and enjoy the different sections and views of the garden influenced the form/structure of this piece. The collection of small movements also mirrors the collection of small drums. Musical themes reappear in different movements in different treatments and create the idea of seeing/hearing the garden from different pavilions.
Recent Performance
Works for Percussion by this Composer
Concerto No.2 for Timpani and Orchestra "Pavilions" - Timpani, Orchestra