More timpani

Just returned from a concert at the Royal Concertgebouw where the RCO played Ouverture Euryanthe by von Weber, Schumann's Symphony No. 1, and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. What a night. My seat was on the stage, right next to the timpani, so basically I attended my second timpani clinic in one week. And who better to learn from than Nick Woud...I just hope I didn't stare too much :-)

With the timpani clinic in Ittervoort still fresh in my mind, I found that I knew much better what to look for tonight. Rather than just watching Mr. Woud play and sitting there in awe, I tried to focus on different aspects of his playing, like how a stroke was started and finished, the amplitude of the strokes, sticking, etc. One thing that struck me in particular (not literally of course) was the sense of purpose: every movement seemed to be there for a reason. From the very onset to the stroke to the end of it, it all just fit, nothing was superfluous.

Besides observing the timpani, I also had a great night just listening to the music of course. Pictures at an exhibition brings back so many childhood memories (no wonder: it's Smurf music! Gnomus and Tuileries were used in the Smurfs cartoon series). The only thing that disappointed me a bit, were the tempi, especially in Bydlo. I've got a wonderful recording by the RCO where you can really sense the cart approaching in the distance, very grave and quite oppressive. Tonight, I guess springtime got the better of the orchestra; I'd have liked it a bit slower.

Can't wait to try out some new things tomorrow!