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“Orchestral Excerpts for Timpani, with an audio CD of orchestral performances of each excerpt, plus practice tracks” is a project I have worked on for many years. I hope that you will find the vast amount of information in the book, and the many amazing performances on the CD, to be interesting, educational, and enjoyable.
In my new book “Orchestral Excerpts for Timpani, with an audio CD of orchestral performances of each excerpt, plus practice tracks” you will find just that (and much more); authentic parts to 57 of the most requested audition excerpts and 78 tracks of classic audio. The CD begins with the impeccable St. Louis Symphony recording of the excerpt from Barber’s Medea, and concludes 77 tracks later with a dramatic performance of the excerpt passage from Siegfried’s Funeral March from Wagner’sGötterdämmerung, played by the Berlin Philharmonic and von Karajan. All of the recordings presented on the CD are, in my opinion, the best of the best.
The CD also features many “practice tracks” which are a combination of live playing and orchestral sound samples. These tracks make it possible to practice excerpts such as the last page of Stravinksy’s The Rite of Spring with an orchestra, in a very slow tempo, and gradually work up to performance tempo. Other practice tracks on the CD include the 4thmovement timpani passage from Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra played by a live viola section; Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta (2nd movement); and Barber’s Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance.
An important aspect of auditioning is to play the excerpts in a generally acceptable tempo. However, what is an acceptable tempo for an excerpt such as the opening bars of Mozart’s Symphony No. 39? There is no tempo marking printed in the score, and recordings of this work vary by as much as 90 beats per minute! In “Orchestral Excerpts for Timpani, with an audio CD…” you will also find tempo lists showing the range of tempi in which these excerpts have been performed by a wide variety of famous conductors and orchestras.
For the pedaling excerpts by Barber, Bartók, and Strauss, included are up to 3 different tuning plans, marked clearly in both American and German set-up. For some of the excerpts I have included the preferred tuning plans and stickings of famous timpanists such as Gerald Carlyss, Cloyd Duff, Saul Goodman, Richard Hochrainer, Rick Holmes, Roland Kohloff, and Jan Labordus.
Historical information such as a brief biography of each composer and my ‘program notes’ for each of the pieces in the book are also included, as well as sections on practicing timpani parts and excerpts, practicing for an audition, and practicing ear training (solfège).
