Hey all,

I was listening to a classical piece (Requiem Dies Irae - Guiseppe Verdi) on a newly finished set of speakers last night. It's a very "big" piece and demands "11" on the volume. There is a tympani bit in it that rattled things loose in the living room. I got to thinking there has to be some music out there with more tympani to it, I just don't know what it is. Any pointers?

Back in college I heard a fantastic homebrew set of speakers (TL based on Dynaudio 8") and the owner played a piece with a tympani solo that was incredible. Wish I could recall what it was but it's lost in the recesses of my decaying brain.

Any help appreciated. Thanks.
Ray

Not sure what LP you are thinking of, but the tympani in the beginning bars of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" are pretty impressive-sounding for testing/demonstrating speakers. The "Persuasive Percusssion" album might be useful, too.

You might try Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. It begins and ends with O Fortuna which is a tympani/choral piece that I know you've heard before. It's been in countless movie scores. Anyway, I have the Telarc recording with Shaw/Atanta Symphony Orchestra but there are many others available.

Fanfare for the Common Man, Aaron Copland.
Boom,Boom,Boom!!!:thmbsp:

I think that's a bass drum in Copeland's Fanfare, isn't it?

I love tympani, but they're tuned percussion and they're more "thwack" than "boom".

Yes the bass drum does have a big part. But the timpani doubles the bass drum a lot.

Not sure what LP you are thinking of, but the tympani in the beginning bars of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" are pretty impressive-sounding for testing/demonstrating speakers.
I just happened to have picked up an Angel Digital recording of this about a week ago (The Philidelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting).
Turned the sx-1250 and HPM 1500's to about 10 o'clock and...
All I can say is...WOW :thmbsp:

Percussion XX (http://artsmusic.de/templates/tyReleasesD.php?id=322&label=DVD%20Audio&topic=arts-releases-detail)?

Mahler's First Symphony, particularly the final movement.

Tried out a few amazon.com blurbs on these recommendations:

pbda: Yikes! That put the hurt on my computer speakers. I may have to get that one for the big system.

Dusty Chalk: might be fun for demo stuff but not something I could actually listen to.

Walsh/mhardy: hadn't thought about Fanfare. That's not the piece I was thinking of but a good one nonetheless.

Drybasement: Yes, I've heard it but don't own it. Maybe now's the time.

Arkay/ekmanning: good rec but for some reason that piece never really did "it" for me

Thanks to all!!

Ray

Neither classical nor tympani, but the percussion on the song "Way Down Deep" on Jennifer Warnes' album "The Hunter" is... impressive. Most impressive.

I think it's a great song, to boot.

Dusty Chalk: might be fun for demo stuff but not something I could actually listen to.I have to admit it's not something I listen to frequently, but it's...uh...interesting.

There's also that percussionist guy from Grateful Dead did an album, whose title I always forget...not sure if there is actually any tympani on it, though, but there's some of everything, so probably...

That would be Micky Hart, Planet Drum. I haven't heard that in a long time. Might have to revisit that one. Also Stewart Copeland (Police) did one called The Rhythmatist that seems to be out of print. Bummer.

Ray

pbda: Yikes! That put the hurt on my computer speakers. I may have to get that one for the big system.

I'm particularly fond of the Telarc LP version of Mahler's 1st (Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony). Probably also available on CD if you are so inclined. It may not be the "best" version, but dynamically it is superb.

That would be Micky Hart, Planet Drum. I haven't heard that in a long time. Might have to revisit that one. Also Stewart Copeland (Police) did one called The Rhythmatist that seems to be out of print. Bummer.

RayYeah, it was Mickey Hart, but it wasn't Planet Drum (well, Planet Drum might be one of the ones). I think I was thinking of Dafos.