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Nigel: Hello, everybody and welcome to the Timpani Master Class
for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.
My name is Nigel Thomas.
I'm principal timpanist with the London Symphony Orchestra
and I feel very lucky and privileged to be so.
Three pieces of repertoire to deal with today;
all extremely good choices,
all extremely challenging pieces for different reasons.
And we're going to start with Beethoven Nine,
probably one of the greatest challenges for timpanists,
I think, musically and technically that exists in the repertoire.
Beethoven Nine,
there are so many sections we could choose from this to ask you to play.
The one I have before me is the end of the first movement.
A and D, quiet,
exposed with the trumpets;
but to be really, really together with the trumpets,
so make sure you are positioned as near to trumpets in the orchestra as you possibly can
because for the whole symphony you and the trumpets are hand in glove.
So, very, very important.
I will just demonstrate the excerpt and I am going to use pretty hard sticks;
these are leather sticks,
simply because you may well be asked by the conductor
to use something as clear and hard as this
and they need to be able to have the technique
and the position shift to deal with it.
So, make sure you at least practice with something exacting.
And if you get to play with harder sticks then it is a bit easier.
But, let me just demonstrate this piece of repertoire from bar five one three.
[plays]
It is very important while you are playing this that you listen to the orchestra all the time,
keep it steady,
don't rush whatever you do.
The orchestra is really listening to you to keep the tempo,
to keep the times steady.
And also, rhythmically, it has got to be absolutely spot on;
expressive at the same time,
lots of dynamics,
lots of excitement and you need to lead the orchestra,
especially at the end on the big sempre fortissimo,
one-two-three-four-five-six- seven- eight-nine-ten
from the end of the movement.
Ok, we will move on from the Beethoven.
The next in the list of repertoire for you to prepare
is Troyte's from Enigma Variation by Edward Elgar.
Wonderful piece,
a great challenge again for very different reasons to the Beethoven.
The first thing to say about Troyte is it is very famous;
everyone knows this excerpt and everyone thinks that this is a big timpani solo movement.
This is not that way at all.
It's very important that you are absolutely locked in together
with the bassists and cellists at the beginning.
And it is very good that we start staccato piano
because it gives you a chance while you are playing to keep your ears open
and listen for the lower strings in the orchestra
to make sure you are absolutely locked in together with them.
Don't rush, keep it steady and, as I said,
while you are play you are not leading in this,
you are following and you need to be really locked in tempo-wise.
Don't rush,
but plenty of dynamics and finish really loud.
There is no problem,
you can't really play too loud in this piece and I will demonstrate the opening
and I will play up to four, five bars up to 24, ok?
Something like this.
[plays]
As I said, you can really get stuck in on those three fortes
and the only other thing I will say apart from don't rush,
keep it steady, keep the time steady,
is right at the end, again, don't rush in from 29.
[sings] ♪ Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bababababa-baaa
[plays]
Really important: don't rush;
otherwise you will just finish ahead of the rest of the orchestra.
And you will look like a chump.
Ok, finally we move on to Brahms' First Symphony.
This is a real test of your musicianship.
I mean, all of these pieces are a real test to your musicianship.
It's a very good choice, actually, of repertoire.
Unfortunately, it is very hard to demonstrate without the orchestra
because that is what it is all about.
It is all about playing with the orchestra;
giving the orchestra what it needs and demonstrations,
timpani alone,
don't really give you insight into how really we approach the Brahms,
other than to say that, again,
at the più allegro here, at bar three, nine, one,
at the end of the fourth movement,
the orchestra will be looking to you to sort of lead the tempo.
Obviously, if you watch to follow the conductor,
but it is very much a two way street with you and the conductor.
And again, don't rush in these triplets from 419-ish towards the end of the movement.
Keep it steady;
not too loud, but loud enough.
So it's not too insipid.
I will just demonstrate from four bars before the pure allegro I think,
to give you a rough idea of the tempo to expect,
rather than rolling into this lead from the allegro non Trompo.
So, I'll start playing four bars before the pure allegro
and try and demonstrate roughly what the tempo would be
and roughly how to approach playing this out of the repertoire.
Ok, here it goes.
[plays]
Just before I continue there,
little bit of a pull-up there on those four bars
and then there's a big brass chorale there in the six bar's rest,
which is a little bit heavier.
And then we're off again when the strings come in.
[sings] ♪ da-de-da-da
From 413, I think that is.
Yeah, 413.
So just be, make it nice and pesante and heavy there at 403.
I'll just play from the pure allegro again so you can hear what I mean,
what I'm talking about, ok?
[plays]
That's the brass chorale there for six bars.
[sings] ♪ ba-ba-ba-ba
[plays]
I know it sounds pretty messy without the orchestra,
but that's roughly what you'll be required to do with the orchestra.
It's quite technically challenging I find this.
I find Brahms quite, a real challenge actually.
And, again, you really need to know the music,
so get a CD,
listen to the symphony so you know what's in store.
If I could just play from 431 again,
you'll hear that-- 431, 234, 434-- bar 434.
There's a crescendo.
You're leading there and it goes something like this.
[plays]
And the minim rest at 435 is a bit longer than you might think.
It's almost like a comma;
a very short pull before you start off on the sextuplets again
Again, listen to the CD.
Make sure you're intimately acquainted with the symphony.
Keep your ears open.
Play musically;
not too loud,
but loud enough and you should be fine.
So, I guess that's about it.
Thanks very much for listening to me
and taking on board hopefully a few things I'd like to pass on with the repertoire.
Good luck with the auditions.
Again, thanks for watching
and I hope that you will get on successfully with the repertoire
and have lots of fun making music.
Thanks a lot. Bye.