Lovely! So much fun, and you’re so right….almost all my favourite bits involve the wondrous tam-tam. I especially love the excerpt you performed from Das Lied.
Of all my favorite Uncle Davey videos, this one may be my favorite-iest of all. I really think we need a studio recording of the Gabriel Prokofiev Tam Tam Concerto starring D. Hurwitz, L. Segerstam, and the Helsinki Phil on Ondine. It will surely be Gramophone’s Album of the Year.
The final movement of Mahler's Das Lied von her Erde is one of my favourites. The Bernard Haitink recording on Phillips is the best example. Hauntingly beautiful.I was in my early 20's when I first heard Das Lied and the Haitink/Concertgebouw with Janet Baker/ James King is my desert Island disc.
Fascinating video, Dave! The tam tam part at the end of Madama Butterfly is devastating. The tam tam part in Karajan's recording with Freni shatters my heart.
I am so pleased that you are so shameless! I mean that with all possible warmth in my heart. That was fabulous AND I’m excited to go to that list and really listen for those moments. And I shall never forget your introduction to the video about The Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony!!!!!!
Good for you, Dave! The tam -tam is special to me. The Markevitch 1959 recording of "Le Sacre"...need I say more? My best friend, a concertmaster, always gives me s#$t for loving the tam-tam so much. What can we expect from a string player? Bernard Herrmann's score to "The Battle of Neretva" is full of lovely, wonderful, lip-smacking tam-tam and is very aggressive, right up in your face, at least in the original recording.
Being a Percussionist myself, I thoroughly enjoy this Tam Tam video. I find the Tam Tam at the very end of Rachmaninov 1st Symphony quite isolated and frightening. In the Rite of Spring it takes 2 Percussionists to play the Tam Tam .One to play and the other to dampen. Thanks ,David for your entertaining reviews .Keep them coming !
Great and important talk, Dave! I’ve gotta say, I didn’t recognise the Tjajk 6, as it came out as p or maybe pp, when we know it’s ppppp. Regarding the Gershwin, I heard that tam tam replaced with a fp < hollywood type timpani roll, which I found more in the style of the music. The tam tam blow comes like out of nowhere, and just sounds silly to me. Your tam tam sounds great, and your back hand technique is impeccable! Keep on talking! Thanks!
Fabulous sharing, Dave! May I share three of my "tam-tam favorites? In Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances (which you discussed), for me the final tam-tam, when protracted, suggests Rachmaninov's expansive cosmic farewell as he thrusts himself out into the galaxies. Very few recordings exist where this "sunburst farewell" and explosion into LIGHT happen: Leonard Slatkin's FIRST recording, with the Saint Louis Sym. on Vox prima for me is "tops" and Polyansky is also good. Two Alan Hovhaness symphonies in particular emphasize the cosmic magnificence of the tam-tam (and gong): in Sym. 11( "All Men Are Brothers") in the last movement Andante Nobilita, the tam-tam, bells, strings and brass proclaim praise and the galactic glory of the universe, like the Buddha hanging his great tam-tam in the skies to remind humanity that beyond all senseless violence and warring, we are all beautiful brothers and sisters traveling together; in Sym. 46 ("To the Green Mountains") in the thunderstorm and thanksgiving movements another mighty hymn to nature and its wondrous beauty, the tam-tam with the orchestra sounds forth again. These are mighty works. Thank you!
Same here...playing Salsa- and Funkpercussion a long time ago I must say, that you are absolutly right with your ideas about the other disturbing instruments in an orchestra etc.! And thank you for your Respighi - church windows - recommandation. I immediatly had to listen to my Vinylversion by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra/Keith Clark/Reference Recordings RR-15/45 rpm! The only instrument they mention on the backcover is...the Tam-tam (sponsored by Paiste America Inc.)! Needless to say it's a great recording.
I would like to mention Rachmaninov's First Symphony. Much like Tchaik 2, the supersonic tempo towards the end make it seem like we're reaching a loud and celebratory finish, only for the tam-tam to strike. Whereas Tchaik 2 picks the momentum back up again and finishes triumphantly, it's all doom and gloom for Rach 1 with one of the darkest endings ever. It's like a story where the villain emerges victorious, which unfortunately coincided with real-life events surrounding the symphony's premiere.
I just listened to the Job and Bartok examples, the Job being more noticeable (demonic). My EDTT example is in Martinu’s Violin Concerto No. 2, near the end of the 1st mvmt, 10:43 mark on my recording (Hogwood/Matousek -Hyperion), at the end of an intense orchestral crescendo, the tam tam has the final word, and vibrates for awhile. Gets me every time. By the way I love these ED videos. I hope you aren’t drained of ideas for them yet.
Excellent list but, as you say, you've gotta draw the line somewhere. I would add the Mahler 2nd (1,3 and 5), where the 2 tam-tams have a field day, Messaien's "Et Expecto", Turangalila, etc where the tams are part of the composer's textural/instrumental "blocks", and how about B. Herrmann's theme from "Jason and the Argonauts"? LR
Okay, this is only "classical" under the broadest possible definition (i.e. it involved an orchestra and some rock/classical crossover marketing), and I wouldn't necessarily argue that it's on the same musical level as Mahler or Tchaikovsky, but the tam-tam crash that concludes "Nights in White Satin/Late Lament" from "Days of Future Passed" with the combined forces of The Moody Blues and the London Festival Orchestra always left me exhausted and exhilarated. Chalk it up to nostalgia for my hippy days!
Great commentary, Dave. One comment on tam-tam size and sound. I've heard many comments from conductors about the Gershwin Concerto tam-tam crash in that the decay always feels like it takes forever. Photos I've seen of orchestras from the early to mid 1900's show tam-tams that are small (like 18" or less) are very "crashy" (speak fast) and , including Stravinsky in Le Sacre have rapid decay. I think this is the sound Gershwin (and many others) wrote for, not the big, long sound we are used to today. Paray/Detroit/Mercury Ibert Escales 3rd movement demonstrates this well. Reiner/Chicago/Debussy La Mer and Toscanini/NBC/Respighi Pines also. In any case, great video, Dave. I look forfard to these as part of my mornings here.
Exactly-smaller, splashier Tam-Tams, likely not edged, but wind gong types were more typical. Orchestras more recently bought those large Chaus, and I think they want to display and strike those dramatically gigantic plates, but often they aren't the right choice.
This is unquestionably correct. The problem with small sizes is that they may be fine in loud passages, or even preferable, but they are poor when you want a deep, soft, ominous sound (as at the start of Abschied in Das Lied von der Erde). Ideally orchestras should have (and use) both, as appropriate, and there is no excuse not to given their ready availability.
This is a nice collection of tam-tam pieces, I ill check them out. Your tam tam sounds wonderful even on this video recording, not the most apartment friendly instrument though. My favorite tam tam crash is at the ending of the first act of Puccini's Turandot, very ancient sounding after that pentatonic aria
That’s another idea that might make an interesting talk for a video - creepiest pieces of music! Or the crepiest passages in certain pieces. If I may make one suggestion to start us off: the tuba mirum from Dvorak’s requiem I have always found unbelievably disturbing. Always gives me goosebumps.
I hesitate to admit this, lest I cause even greater turmoil, but I never knew that the tam-tam was reason these moments are so shattering. All joking aside, I know better now.
As a teenager in the '50s at Choate, your rival school, I spent many hours playing LPs in the library -- over mono headsets, of course. I recall being blown away by the tam-tam at the end of Gounod's "Faust" when Méphistophélès cries out, “Jugée!". The conductor was Sir Thomas Beecham -- and though I cannot recall who the singers were, that splendid crash remains in my memory at age 81!
I didn't know that the tam tam in Tchaikovsky' 6th was optional, that's very interesting. There are so many performances on youtube. If its a video I get really annoyed if i don't get to see the tam tam. Sometimes you just see the conductor pulling faces. I don't think Dave feels the same, but my main pleasure at concerts and video is getting to see how the sounds are made. And watching the inner parts really enhances my ability to hear them. The anticipation of seeing percussionists getting ready to whack something adds to the excitement. In Bruckner's 7th, the single cymbal clash may be optional as well, but if its not there, and if I can't see it , it's not the same. The worst concert I ever went to was a Tchaikovsky' Manfred, RSNO in Edinburgh. There was a big organ in the hall, but the seat was empty, so I thought maybe the organist was waiting to make dramatic entrance and the end. But no, it was the "improved" version with the end of the first movement tagged on, but with lots of extra bashing on the tam tam. I walked out without applauding, it ruined my birthday. However, i complained. And I got my money back!
Splendid video! As a fellow Tam-Tam owner/player, I would so enjoy a video wherein you give us a tour of your magnificent collection, with each being struck, and with some details about their diameters, their manner of arrival in your metal menagerie, and memorable performances in which you've deployed them. You've touched on this across your many videos, but having one omnibus presentation would be most educational and satisfying. Time consuming and labor intensive, I know (hanging each one on that Meinl stand is an effort), but it would be most unique and would reach a fascinated audience. The sinister connection for this instrument in Western orchestral music was established with its use in the Gossec Marche Lugubre, and Berlioz made that clear when he noted in his treatise on orchestration: The tam-tam, or gong, is only used in compositions of a dirge-like character and for dramatic scenes of the utmost horror. When mingled in a forte with strident chords of brass instruments (trumpets and trombones) its vibrations have an awe-inspiring quality. No less terrifying in their lugubrious resonance are the exposed strokes of the gong, as Meyerbeer has demonstrated in the magnificent scene of the resurrection of the nuns in Robert le Diable. Naturally the Tam-Tam has a diabolical pedigree-even Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan in 1966, included it as an essential element of his psychodramatic rituals. Your selections are all spot-on! Mahler certainly was a master for deploying its numinous sounds, with Shostakovich as his heir in this and many other respects. Messiaen had a knack for using Tam-Tams and gongs with telling effect, too. Et Expecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum has some potent passages for the Tam-Tam to sing and roar. So, your evangelism for this glorious instrument is surely making a mark. If only some conductors wouldn't seem so embarrassed by the Tam-Tams written into scores. At times they are muffled out what seems by a timidity for what can be a raucous and vulgar sound. However, if these baton beaters took the time to work with their wise percussionists, they might select the proper Tam-Tam for the composition being played, so that it sounds as the composer intended-an essential part of the musical landscape.
Very true, that last comment, and I speak from experience. I always tried to bring the right instrument and I can count on one hand the number of times the conductor actually noticed. I do remember a wonderful moment, though, where I had brought a large wind gong specifically to use for the last note (that troublesome mf stroke) of the scherzo of Mahler's Second Symphony. It had a beautiful, deep, perfectly sustained tone, and when I hit it the conductor looked up in shock and said, "That was absolutely wonderful."
@@DavesClassicalGuide That is the perfect choice for that passage! If only that care was typical and not anomalous. Tam-Tams currently seem to be exclusively large Chaus, which are most likely not the expected sound for many historic works. When one listens to older recordings, often it sounds like smaller diameter wind gongs were more widespread. The recordings of the Jean Rivier fully orchestral symphonies with French ensembles from decades ago have a lighter but splashy Tam-Tam that carries well over the orchestra. He's a composer I find deserving of some new recordings, being somewhat eclectic in that Antheil way, with captivating music that employs the Tam-Tam, and other instruments, with skill.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I hauled my Giant (60") Tam a couple of times to play the Mahler 2nd, both performances conducted by Jay Friedman (principal trombone of Chicao Sym), who was delighted to have the huge instrument in the section. All I asked is that his (community) orchestra pay the U-Haul charges. First time was in an old (excellent) church in Oak Park, Il. At the dress reh...final bar of the Scherzo, I did the "mf" perfectly, I thought. He cut off the orch and said to me "It's too LOUD..." to which I responded: "I told you it was big." I cut back a tad in the performance, and it sounded excellent. LR
Two faves tamtam (or perhaps gong?) moments: 1. the end of Des Canyons aux étoiles with those strokes ascending to the stars. 2. the end of Berg's violin concerto, also with three strokes under which the strings echo those angel wings opening just at the beginning of the work: just amazing and emotionally draining
Dunno about emotionally draining but the Chandos recording of St. Michael Archangel drained my wallet the first time I played it, umpteen years ago. Blew out a speaker panel. I don't play Church Windows often these days, not one of my Respighi favoutites, but notch back the volume when I do.
I was in my late 20’s, but otherwise what David Smith said about Das Lied is my view also. I love that a contemporary Japanese poet has said that Das Lied is the one piece of western art which most exemplifies their artistic value of ‘yūgen’ (deep ineffable).
Not particularly draining, but most appropriate scoring indeed.....and rather difficult to play well is the part in Laideronette in 'Ma Mere Loye'....it is perfect...
How about Stockhausen Mikrophonie I from the mid-60s where SIX (!) players perform on one tam-tam with different types of beater plus electronic wizardry for nearly half an hour
Conductors - there outta be a law. Number one should be, "NEVER tell percussionists how to play." Harder mallets, center of the drum, blah, blah, blah. Never once have I heard, "That B would sound better in seventh position instead of trigger 2," or "Use second position instead of shifting between first and third." It's so presumptuous! Longer, shorter, louder, quieter, more cut, less cutting - that's it, baby. One of my friends takes his current mallets, puts them in the bag, then pulls out the same mallets. Good for him!
Unless, of course, the conductor also happens to be a very experienced percussionist (ahem.....). I have frequently either brought in my own instruments to obtain the sound I want or given specific instructions and suggestions: glock mallet hardness, tambourine sound/brightness' cymbal thickness (including use of a Chinese cymbal struck on a standard one..for exotic effects), snare drums vs. military drums for the right color/character, my own Tam-tams and where they "speak" best when struck, a moratorium on striking the bass drum in the center, which sounds ENTIRELY different than using the normal position, etc etc. And guess what? The players ALL appreciate the insight, the guidance....every comment I heard from the section was positive, having a conductor who knows what the hell he's talking about and treats the players as the artists they are. Of course, I understand it doesn't often work out this way with conductors who don't know the territory. LR
@@HassoBenSoba Thank you for this! I assume that you met with the players ahead of time, not on the podium. I've seen this all the time in community groups and no, they never know what they are talking about. (I'm a student of the late, truly great, Ron Keezer. I miss him every day.) On the same brainwave, I have never seen a conductor bring in a horn, oboe, or bow and ask a player to use it. (But I did live through an explosion by Ray Dvorak about how parts should be played on CORNETS and that the world went TRUMPET CRAZY! He was right.) Did Fennell make these kinds of on-podium suggestions? I played under him twice and don't remember it.
Careful - we're moving towards '10 most emotionally draining Dave Hurwitz videos'
Then '10 most emotionally draining Dave hurwitz videos discussing 10 emotionally draining pieces of music'
All those in which he talks about Simon Rattle. 😉
🤣
All of his a capella renditions need to be assembled into a Hooked on Hurwitz medley aka Gottertamtamerrung
Be careful everyone, the classical stodge police might censor this thread.
Well there's a title I wasn't expecting!
After making this video you may have earned the 10 most emotionally drained neighbors
They're good sports.
:--)
Lovely! So much fun, and you’re so right….almost all my favourite bits involve the wondrous tam-tam. I especially love the excerpt you performed from Das Lied.
I love the two big strokes in the the third movement of Prokofiev 5. The Climax of La Valse. The one at the end of the Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances.
Heart-warming interpretation at the end!
Of all my favorite Uncle Davey videos, this one may be my favorite-iest of all. I really think we need a studio recording of the Gabriel Prokofiev Tam Tam Concerto starring D. Hurwitz, L. Segerstam, and the Helsinki Phil on Ondine. It will surely be Gramophone’s Album of the Year.
The final movement of Mahler's Das Lied von her Erde is one of my favourites. The Bernard Haitink recording on Phillips is the best example. Hauntingly beautiful.I was in my early 20's when I first heard Das Lied and the Haitink/Concertgebouw with Janet Baker/ James King is my desert Island disc.
The tam-tam solo at the climax at end of the opening theme from the game Super Smash Bros. Melee is my go-to for this.
Fascinating video, Dave! The tam tam part at the end of Madama Butterfly is devastating. The tam tam part in Karajan's recording with Freni shatters my heart.
Lol David, this was hilarious. Long live the Tam tam
Dave, I can think of nothing more fun - and emotionally draining - than a Doppio Concerto per Voce di David e Tam Tam.
Thank you Dave for the Tam Tam representation the Tam Tam community so desperately craves
I am so pleased that you are so shameless! I mean that with all possible warmth in my heart. That was fabulous AND I’m excited to go to that list and really listen for those moments. And I shall never forget your introduction to the video about The Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony!!!!!!
Thank you so very very much for this most wonderful video "hommage" to the tam-tam. My favourite video of yours to date! Take care...
I would read the ad lib note in the Tchaikovsky as an invitation to a tam tam cadenza.
Good for you, Dave! The tam -tam is special to me. The Markevitch 1959 recording of "Le Sacre"...need I say more? My best friend, a concertmaster, always gives me s#$t for loving the tam-tam so much. What can we expect from a string player? Bernard Herrmann's score to "The Battle of Neretva" is full of lovely, wonderful, lip-smacking tam-tam and is very aggressive, right up in your face, at least in the original recording.
Being a Percussionist myself, I thoroughly enjoy this Tam Tam video. I find the Tam Tam at the very end of Rachmaninov 1st Symphony quite isolated and frightening. In the Rite of Spring it takes 2 Percussionists to play the Tam Tam .One to play and the other to dampen. Thanks ,David for your entertaining reviews .Keep them coming !
That is a wonderful sounding tamtam....it is great!
Great and important talk, Dave! I’ve gotta say, I didn’t recognise the Tjajk 6, as it came out as p or maybe pp, when we know it’s ppppp. Regarding the Gershwin, I heard that tam tam replaced with a fp < hollywood type timpani roll, which I found more in the style of the music. The tam tam blow comes like out of nowhere, and just sounds silly to me. Your tam tam sounds great, and your back hand technique is impeccable! Keep on talking! Thanks!
Good job, Dave!
Fabulous sharing, Dave! May I share three of my "tam-tam favorites? In Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances (which you discussed), for me the final tam-tam, when protracted,
suggests Rachmaninov's expansive cosmic farewell as he thrusts himself out into the galaxies. Very few recordings exist where this "sunburst farewell" and explosion
into LIGHT happen: Leonard Slatkin's FIRST recording, with the Saint Louis Sym. on Vox prima for me is "tops" and Polyansky is also good.
Two Alan Hovhaness symphonies in particular emphasize the cosmic magnificence of the tam-tam (and gong): in Sym. 11( "All Men Are Brothers") in the last movement Andante Nobilita, the tam-tam, bells, strings and brass proclaim praise and the galactic glory of the universe, like the Buddha hanging his great tam-tam in the skies to remind humanity that beyond all senseless violence and warring, we are all beautiful brothers and sisters traveling together; in Sym. 46 ("To the Green Mountains") in the thunderstorm and thanksgiving movements another mighty hymn to nature and its wondrous beauty, the tam-tam with the orchestra sounds forth again. These are mighty works. Thank you!
This might be the best video on this channel
Another outstanding video from the equally outstanding Mr Hurwitz and his indispensable Tam-Tam.
Same here...playing Salsa- and Funkpercussion a long time ago I must say, that you are absolutly right with your ideas about the other disturbing instruments in an orchestra etc.! And thank you for your Respighi - church windows - recommandation. I immediatly had to listen to my Vinylversion by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra/Keith Clark/Reference Recordings RR-15/45 rpm! The only instrument they mention on the backcover is...the Tam-tam (sponsored by Paiste America Inc.)! Needless to say it's a great recording.
Lucky neighbors hearing this tam tam inadvertently !!!
I would like to mention Rachmaninov's First Symphony. Much like Tchaik 2, the supersonic tempo towards the end make it seem like we're reaching a loud and celebratory finish, only for the tam-tam to strike. Whereas Tchaik 2 picks the momentum back up again and finishes triumphantly, it's all doom and gloom for Rach 1 with one of the darkest endings ever. It's like a story where the villain emerges victorious, which unfortunately coincided with real-life events surrounding the symphony's premiere.
When are you going to do Emotionally draining triangle-solos?
I just listened to the Job and Bartok examples, the Job being more noticeable (demonic).
My EDTT example is in Martinu’s Violin Concerto No. 2, near the end of the 1st mvmt, 10:43 mark on my recording (Hogwood/Matousek -Hyperion), at the end of an intense orchestral crescendo, the tam tam has the final word, and vibrates for awhile. Gets me every time.
By the way I love these ED videos. I hope you aren’t drained of ideas for them yet.
I think it's time for something else, at least for a while, but I'm very glad that you've enjoyed them.
I just played this video for my two year old son and he thinks it's the funniest thing ever. Already a percussionist in the making...
You're a great dad!
David, you have left me speechless. That was a great ride, though.
The headline was Onion level brilliance, but the actually video managed to exceed even that high bar. Well done, sir
Thank you!
Excellent list but, as you say, you've gotta draw the line somewhere. I would add the Mahler 2nd (1,3 and 5), where the 2 tam-tams have a field day, Messaien's "Et Expecto", Turangalila, etc where the tams are part of the composer's textural/instrumental "blocks", and how about B. Herrmann's theme from "Jason and the Argonauts"? LR
Okay, this is only "classical" under the broadest possible definition (i.e. it involved an orchestra and some rock/classical crossover marketing), and I wouldn't necessarily argue that it's on the same musical level as Mahler or Tchaikovsky, but the tam-tam crash that concludes "Nights in White Satin/Late Lament" from "Days of Future Passed" with the combined forces of The Moody Blues and the London Festival Orchestra always left me exhausted and exhilarated. Chalk it up to nostalgia for my hippy days!
Great commentary, Dave. One comment on tam-tam size and sound. I've heard many comments from conductors about the Gershwin Concerto tam-tam crash in that the decay always feels like it takes forever. Photos I've seen of orchestras from the early to mid 1900's show tam-tams that are small (like 18" or less) are very "crashy" (speak fast) and , including Stravinsky in Le Sacre have rapid decay. I think this is the sound Gershwin (and many others) wrote for, not the big, long sound we are used to today. Paray/Detroit/Mercury Ibert Escales 3rd movement demonstrates this well. Reiner/Chicago/Debussy La Mer and Toscanini/NBC/Respighi Pines also. In any case, great video, Dave. I look forfard to these as part of my mornings here.
Exactly-smaller, splashier Tam-Tams, likely not edged, but wind gong types were more typical. Orchestras more recently bought those large Chaus, and I think they want to display and strike those dramatically gigantic plates, but often they aren't the right choice.
This is unquestionably correct. The problem with small sizes is that they may be fine in loud passages, or even preferable, but they are poor when you want a deep, soft, ominous sound (as at the start of Abschied in Das Lied von der Erde). Ideally orchestras should have (and use) both, as appropriate, and there is no excuse not to given their ready availability.
This is a nice collection of tam-tam pieces, I ill check them out. Your tam tam sounds wonderful even on this video recording, not the most apartment friendly instrument though. My favorite tam tam crash is at the ending of the first act of Puccini's Turandot, very ancient sounding after that pentatonic aria
That’s another idea that might make an interesting talk for a video - creepiest pieces of music! Or the crepiest passages in certain pieces. If I may make one suggestion to start us off: the tuba mirum from Dvorak’s requiem I have always found unbelievably disturbing. Always gives me goosebumps.
Very creepy indeed!
I hesitate to admit this, lest I cause even greater turmoil, but I never knew that the tam-tam was reason these moments are so shattering. All joking aside, I know better now.
Overwhelming TT crescendo in Wozzeck murder scene followed by 5 violent drum strokes. Referring here to Boulez and Paris Opera production recording...
It is emotionally draining to my headphones
As a teenager in the '50s at Choate, your rival school, I spent many hours playing LPs in the library -- over mono headsets, of course. I recall being blown away by the tam-tam at the end of Gounod's "Faust" when Méphistophélès cries out, “Jugée!". The conductor was Sir Thomas Beecham -- and though I cannot recall who the singers were, that splendid crash remains in my memory at age 81!
Ah, the magic of the tam-tam--even at Choate!
J. Arthur Rank films (that dates me) valued the anticipatory effect of the tam tam.
I didn't know that the tam tam in Tchaikovsky' 6th was optional, that's very interesting. There are so many performances on youtube. If its a video I get really annoyed if i don't get to see the tam tam. Sometimes you just see the conductor pulling faces. I don't think Dave feels the same, but my main pleasure at concerts and video is getting to see how the sounds are made. And watching the inner parts really enhances my ability to hear them. The anticipation of seeing percussionists getting ready to whack something adds to the excitement. In Bruckner's 7th, the single cymbal clash may be optional as well, but if its not there, and if I can't see it , it's not the same. The worst concert I ever went to was a Tchaikovsky' Manfred, RSNO in Edinburgh. There was a big organ in the hall, but the seat was empty, so I thought maybe the organist was waiting to make dramatic entrance and the end. But no, it was the "improved" version with the end of the first movement tagged on, but with lots of extra bashing on the tam tam. I walked out without applauding, it ruined my birthday. However, i complained. And I got my money back!
I love seeing how the sounds are made. I get it!
Splendid video! As a fellow Tam-Tam owner/player, I would so enjoy a video wherein you give us a tour of your magnificent collection, with each being struck, and with some details about their diameters, their manner of arrival in your metal menagerie, and memorable performances in which you've deployed them. You've touched on this across your many videos, but having one omnibus presentation would be most educational and satisfying. Time consuming and labor intensive, I know (hanging each one on that Meinl stand is an effort), but it would be most unique and would reach a fascinated audience.
The sinister connection for this instrument in Western orchestral music was established with its use in the Gossec Marche Lugubre, and Berlioz made that clear when he noted in his treatise on orchestration:
The tam-tam, or gong, is only used in compositions of a dirge-like character and for dramatic scenes of the utmost horror. When mingled in a forte with strident chords of brass instruments (trumpets and trombones) its vibrations have an awe-inspiring quality. No less terrifying in their lugubrious resonance are the exposed strokes of the gong, as Meyerbeer has demonstrated in the magnificent scene of the resurrection of the nuns in Robert le Diable.
Naturally the Tam-Tam has a diabolical pedigree-even Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan in 1966, included it as an essential element of his psychodramatic rituals.
Your selections are all spot-on! Mahler certainly was a master for deploying its numinous sounds, with Shostakovich as his heir in this and many other respects. Messiaen had a knack for using Tam-Tams and gongs with telling effect, too. Et Expecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum has some potent passages for the Tam-Tam to sing and roar. So, your evangelism for this glorious instrument is surely making a mark. If only some conductors wouldn't seem so embarrassed by the Tam-Tams written into scores. At times they are muffled out what seems by a timidity for what can be a raucous and vulgar sound. However, if these baton beaters took the time to work with their wise percussionists, they might select the proper Tam-Tam for the composition being played, so that it sounds as the composer intended-an essential part of the musical landscape.
Very true, that last comment, and I speak from experience. I always tried to bring the right instrument and I can count on one hand the number of times the conductor actually noticed. I do remember a wonderful moment, though, where I had brought a large wind gong specifically to use for the last note (that troublesome mf stroke) of the scherzo of Mahler's Second Symphony. It had a beautiful, deep, perfectly sustained tone, and when I hit it the conductor looked up in shock and said, "That was absolutely wonderful."
@@DavesClassicalGuide That is the perfect choice for that passage! If only that care was typical and not anomalous. Tam-Tams currently seem to be exclusively large Chaus, which are most likely not the expected sound for many historic works. When one listens to older recordings, often it sounds like smaller diameter wind gongs were more widespread. The recordings of the Jean Rivier fully orchestral symphonies with French ensembles from decades ago have a lighter but splashy Tam-Tam that carries well over the orchestra. He's a composer I find deserving of some new recordings, being somewhat eclectic in that Antheil way, with captivating music that employs the Tam-Tam, and other instruments, with skill.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I hauled my Giant (60") Tam a couple of times to play the Mahler 2nd, both performances conducted by Jay Friedman (principal trombone of Chicao Sym), who was delighted to have the huge instrument in the section. All I asked is that his (community) orchestra pay the U-Haul charges. First time was in an old (excellent) church in Oak Park, Il. At the dress reh...final bar of the Scherzo, I did the "mf" perfectly, I thought. He cut off the orch and said to me "It's too LOUD..." to which I responded: "I told you it was big." I cut back a tad in the performance, and it sounded excellent. LR
@@HassoBenSoba I would have played it twice as loud in the performance.
Two faves tamtam (or perhaps gong?) moments: 1. the end of Des Canyons aux étoiles with those strokes ascending to the stars. 2. the end of Berg's violin concerto, also with three strokes under which the strings echo those angel wings opening just at the beginning of the work: just amazing and emotionally draining
I am now emotionally drained...
Dunno about emotionally draining but the Chandos recording of St. Michael Archangel drained my wallet the first time I played it, umpteen years ago. Blew out a speaker panel. I don't play Church Windows often these days, not one of my Respighi favoutites, but notch back the volume when I do.
Every time there is a tam tam video I wonder what the neighbors think.
I don't think they have any idea exactly what is going on. I'm hoping they think it's some kind of satanic ritual.
I was in my late 20’s, but otherwise what David Smith said about Das Lied is my view also. I love that a contemporary Japanese poet has said that Das Lied is the one piece of western art which most exemplifies their artistic value of ‘yūgen’ (deep ineffable).
What about the most exhilarating joy pieces?
Not particularly draining, but most appropriate scoring indeed.....and rather difficult to play well is the part in Laideronette in 'Ma Mere Loye'....it is perfect...
After this video I am emotionally drained since I lost my hearing...
Another, that I'm surprised isn't in the comments yet, is the moment of death in Strauss' Tod und Verklärung.
You never hear the tam-tam in most performances.
I have a suggestion. What about the 10 greatest symphony endings of all time. I know it's a monster of a task to choose 10, but what great fun?
TwoSetViolins: "Time to take on the tam-tam gang..."
Ahaha… being Two Set violin aussies, probably they would take on the Tim Tam Slam!!!
twoset = cringe
@@ManuManu-lm6xh draining a coffee with a Tim Tam
How about Stockhausen Mikrophonie I from the mid-60s where SIX (!) players perform on one tam-tam with different types of beater plus electronic wizardry for nearly half an hour
I'm not into gimmicks.
Finale of Rachmaninoff's 1st comes to mind.
How do you feel about the tam-tam at the end of the Rachmaninoff ‘Symphonic Dances’? Should it be allowed to ring or should it be staccato?
It should be allowed to ring.
have to give a shout out to the last part of 1st movement Prokofiev 5
When you can hear it, which is unfortunately not most of the time.
Now you need the top 10 ten Liszt pieces that are actually transcendental.
How could you not mention the solos in Shostakovich's Babi Yar?!
You have to draw the line somewhere.
lmao I listen to that symphony at least once a month and I legit forgot there was a tam tam in it until now
@@sophiatalksmusic3588 The Tam-Tam in Shost 10, on the other hand… ohhh the Tam-Tam!
There are wonderful tam-tam moments in Shostakovich. My beloved are those soft ones in Razliv and Aurora, especially in the Haitink recording.
Conductors - there outta be a law. Number one should be, "NEVER tell percussionists how to play." Harder mallets, center of the drum, blah, blah, blah. Never once have I heard, "That B would sound better in seventh position instead of trigger 2," or "Use second position instead of shifting between first and third." It's so presumptuous! Longer, shorter, louder, quieter, more cut, less cutting - that's it, baby.
One of my friends takes his current mallets, puts them in the bag, then pulls out the same mallets. Good for him!
Unless, of course, the conductor also happens to be a very experienced percussionist (ahem.....). I have frequently either brought in my own instruments to obtain the sound I want or given specific instructions and suggestions: glock mallet hardness, tambourine sound/brightness' cymbal thickness (including use of a Chinese cymbal struck on a standard one..for exotic effects), snare drums vs. military drums for the right color/character, my own Tam-tams and where they "speak" best when struck, a moratorium on striking the bass drum in the center, which sounds ENTIRELY different than using the normal position, etc etc. And guess what? The players ALL appreciate the insight, the guidance....every comment I heard from the section was positive, having a conductor who knows what the hell he's talking about and treats the players as the artists they are. Of course, I understand it doesn't often work out this way with conductors who don't know the territory. LR
@@HassoBenSoba Thank you for this! I assume that you met with the players ahead of time, not on the podium.
I've seen this all the time in community groups and no, they never know what they are talking about. (I'm a student of the late, truly great, Ron Keezer. I miss him every day.)
On the same brainwave, I have never seen a conductor bring in a horn, oboe, or bow and ask a player to use it. (But I did live through an explosion by Ray Dvorak about how parts should be played on CORNETS and that the world went TRUMPET CRAZY! He was right.)
Did Fennell make these kinds of on-podium suggestions? I played under him twice and don't remember it.
Little Russian now known as the Ukrainian!