Your favourite percussion passages in music

[Maestro267]

What are five moments where the percussion stands out for you? Anything goes here, whether they are front and centre of attention, or they just add the right detail to really enhance a particular passage.

Mine are:

- The increasingly louder sets of three tam-tam strikes from the fourth movement of Messiaen's Ex exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum
- Six sets of timpani, followed by other percussion (and brass) unleashing hell near the end of Havergal Brian's Gothic
- Basically the entire finale of Vaughan Williams 8
- The eerie use of bongos (or congas, not sure which) and timbale during the 2nd movt. of Arnold 7.
- The climax of the second movt. of Shostakovich 11. Timpani, snare drum, bass drum, tam-tam, and xylophone accompanying the "melody" line.

[TheGSMoeller]

-First one that always comes to mind is the closing minutes of Shostakovitch's 15th Symphony.
-The final movement of Andrzej Panufnik's Sinfonia di sfere, Symphony No. 7.
-Any passage from Stravinsky's Petroushka
-The representation of chaos from the bass drums in the overture from Rameau's Zais.
-There's a moment near the end of the opening movement of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances where the music seems to be heading towards an intense conclusion, but it takes a sudden turn towards a sweeter, and more relaxed, sounding landscape, and what I believe is a glockenspiel, perhaps even a xylophone and doubled by a piccolo, play softly behind the strings. This effect creates such a magical atmosphere.


I'm sure I can think of more, but am interested to see what others post.

[Mahlerian]

- The entry of the gongs at the end of Boulez's Le marteau sans maitre
- The low bells in the recapitulation of Mahler's Ninth, first movement
- The percussion crescendo at the beginning of Berg's Three Pieces for Orchestra
- The opening of Carter's Double Concerto
- The last movement of Stravinsky's Requiem Canticles

[Brian]

Timpani only:
Entire first movement, Brahms 4 (sparingly used to spectacular effect)
Nielsen 4 (duh)
Any time Janacek calls for super high pitched timpani
Burleske (Strauss)
Haydn's drum roll, particularly the Harnoncourt recording

More percussion:
Trio, Dvorak 4
First movement, Mahler 3
The development section of "Les francs-juges" when the timpani and bass drum have a dialogue
Havergal Brian's xylophone solo
All of Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra but especially the quiet end of the middle movement

Edit: Wow, Shostakovich 11 and Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances are GREAT choices. Also, the last 30 seconds of the first and third movements in Shostakovich 5.

Edit 2: Every flawlessly timed *cymbal crash* in Symphonie Fantastique.

[Jo498]

Haydn's drum roll, particularly the Harnoncourt recording

I actually find a simpler, more mysterious drum roll more effective than the tattoo improvisation by Harnoncourt. I must have about half a dozen recordings or more but I am not sure I am really happy with any of their drum rolls. (So at the end Harnoncourt is still preferable to some others.) Some start too loud and don't have a real crescendo-decrescendo, others are too soft overall and not menacing enough. (Some HIP recordings, e.g. Brüggen also suffer from thin and bright sounding tympani because of the hard sticks or whatever).

More percussion:
First movement, Mahler 3

This was the first that came to my mind. At some stage the kids seem to have been turned loose among the pots and pans in the kitchen

[TheGSMoeller]

- The percussion crescendo at the beginning of Berg's Three Pieces for Orchestra

Good choice. I'm reminded of the two crescendos right after Wozzeck kills Marie, the first percussion-less crescendo is followed by a solo heavy timpani, then full percussion participation in the massive second crescendo.

[TheGSMoeller]

-The final movement of Andrzej Panufnik's Sinfonia di sfere, Symphony No. 7.

Looking back at my initial post and thinking about how there are many works by Panufnik that feature wonderful moments for percussion, the final movement of his 8th Symphony Sinfonia Voliva quickly comes to mind. There must be at least seven different percussion instruments used during this movement.

[Mahlerian]

Good choice. I'm reminded of the two crescendos right after Wozzeck kills Marie, the first percussion-less crescendo is followed by a solo heavy timpani, then full percussion participation in the massive second crescendo.

That was actually my first thought, before I switched over to the Three Pieces. Similarly, I thought of the massive polyrhythmic crescendo in the Rite before I considered the Requiem Canticles instead.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Most of my favorites have already been mentioned, but I just wanted to bring up William Schuman's thing for timpani. Symphonies 3 and 6 have important solos for timpani, and the 2nd mvt. of the Violin Concerto has a very long timpani solo at the very beginning to set everything up (similar structurally to the oboe in Brahms VC/ii and the cello in Brahms PC2/ii).

[Jo498]

I not entirely sure but I think there is also a hilarious passage percussion only in the "Turandot variation" movement in Hindemith's Metamorphoses on C.M. v. Weber. And the percussion variation of Britten's Guide to the orchestra.

[Florestan]

Rossini, Overture to La gazza ladra., beginning.

Beethoven, the timpani part in the Scherzo of the 9th Symphony

Johann Strauss-Vater, Radetzky-Marsch, beginning.

My favorite hands down: Ravel, Bolero, from beginning to the end.

[Brian]

Rossini, Overture to La gazza ladra., beginning.

I like recordings where they place the two snare drums as far apart onstage as possible so you get a full stereo effect.

[Florestan]

I like recordings where they place the two snare drums as far apart onstage as possible so you get a full stereo effect.

Yep! 

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I not entirely sure but I think there is also a hilarious passage percussion only in the "Turandot variation" movement in Hindemith's Metamorphoses on C.M. v. Weber.

Yeah, that's a great one. I think each instrumental group takes a shot at the theme in sequence (similar to the Britten example).

[kyjo]

I second Nielsen 4, RVW 8, Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis, Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances, and the William Schuman works. Some more:

Barber Third Essay, particularly the opening (the Second Essay also has some great percussion moments)
Hanson 3, the timpani part in the scherzo
Lloyd 4, the depiction of gunfire (snare drum+bass drum) at the climax of the 1st movement
Nielsen 5, snare drum battle
Shostakovich 15 and Cello Concerto no. 2, particularly the endings

Laszlo Lajtha's symphonies have some particularly imaginative percussion writing- the 8th is a good example. Also, there's some great timpani writing in Taneyev's 4th Symphony, played to the hilt in Jarvi's recording with the Philharmonia on Chandos.

[Symphonic Addict]

-Timpani is my favorite percussion instrument, so whenever they have a prominent role or terrific passages in works, I will be very happy, e.g. the way they're used in Walton's outer movements of his Symphony No. 1, Langgaard's extended passage for timpani in a section close to the ending of Music of the Spheres, the different vibrant moments when timpani participate in Holmboe's Sinfonía Boreale, last movement of Nielsen's Symphony No.4, etc.

-The way Prokofiev and Martinu use the orchestral piano in many of their works.

-The hammer strokes in Mahler's Symphony No. 6.

-The frenzied Danza guerriera from Respighi's Belkis Suite.

-Music for strings, percussion and celesta, the whole 3rd movement, especially the celesta part. What a creepy effect provides that instrument!

Bonus track

-One of the Interludes from The Nose, by Shostakovich. A mini concerto for percussion, and it's goooood fun!

[Jo498]

Yesss. Strings, Percussion and Celesta, 3rd mvmt. all of this is so creepy. I love the timpani glissandi of the beginning

[relm1]

1. I love Shosti No. 6 ending's timpani....so exciting!
2. Shosti No. 11 ending and "alarm" massacre"
3. Shosti No. 4 and 15...he was really a FANTASTIC composer for percussion
4. Havergal Brian's insane xylophone and overall use of percussion in Gothic is probably the most exciting ever composed up till then.
5. I am happy with my own use of percussion especially in my latest piece.

[André]

- Rimsky-Korsakoff, Russian Easter Overture.
- Tchaikovsky: 4th symphony, last movement.
- Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps, Danse sacrale.
- Shostakovich: symphony no 15, the end. Also: no 14, his most glacial work.
- Brahms: 4th symphony, 3rd movement.

Apart from the Shostakoviches, the other works feature relatively few percussion instruments. In the Rimsky and Stravinsky the role of the timpani is crucial in marking the obsessive rythm of the piece. Brahms and Tchaikovsky show how effective a few percussion instruments can be in adding brilliance on top and thundering oomph down below.

[Brian]

1. I love Shosti No. 6 ending's timpani....so exciting!

Oh great call! The finale of his first violin concerto also has some really great percussion writing.

The live experience of the Gothic Symphony is simply overwhelming in large part due to the huge and diverse percussion role.

I thought of another nominee today: the "pagoda" scene in Ravel's Ma Mere l'Oye.