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2.22.2001 00:18
Music of the drums to come to Philharmonic
Fans of the Rhode Island Philharmonic know Craig McNutt as the man who stands at the back of the stage and plays the timpani. But Saturday he steps front and center for a rare solo.
McNutt, timpanist for the Philharmonic since 1992, will be tackling a new timpani concerto written for a consortium of about 40 orchestras, including the Philharmonic and Washington's National Symphony.
The piece,
Harmonic Rhythm,
was written by American composer Russell Peck. It lasts about 20 minutes, said McNutt, and allow him to show off a lot of unusual techniques, such as mallets with beads in their heads that sound like maracas.
The main challenge, though, is playing tunes on the drums, something not often heard on timpani in an orchestral setting.
And how is that accomplished? McNutt, of Westford, Mass., will be manning five drums, each tuned to a different pitch. But pedals attached to the base of the drums allow him to raise and lower the pitch, filling in the missing notes of the scale.
For all its hurdles, said McNutt, 33, the score could have been a lot more difficult. Another timpani concerto performed not long ago by the Cleveland Orchestra called for eight drums.
Working on a doctorate
McNutt, who teaches in the preparatory division at New England Conservatory, said that former Philharmonic business manager Alan Hopper asked him more than a year ago if he were interested in performing the work. About six months ago, the score showed up, which has given McNutt plenty of time to work out the bugs.
"I've been able to pace it out, rather than cram. I don't cram unless I have to."
McNutt, who grew up on Cape Cod, started playing drums in a rock band in school. Gradually, he gravitated toward the timpani, and picked up a master's degree in the instrument at Yale. He's now working on a doctorate at New England Conservatory.
When he's not playing with the Philharmonic, where he is principal timpanist, McNutt is active on the Boston freelance scene, stepping in when the Boston Symphony needs an extra timpanist, or the ballet and opera needs drummers. McNutt accompanied the Boston Symphony on its European tour last summer.
He also keeps a set of Baroque timpani that he plays with such period-instrument groups as Boston Baroque and the Handel & Haydn Society.
The Peck is not the only timpani concerto around, said McNutt, although the genre is pretty rare, in part because the technical innovations that make it possible to play a work such as the Peck are relatively recent. The pedals used to alter pitch were only perfected in the early part of the 20th century.
McNutt has studied some of these other pieces in school. But, he said, "it's not too often you get to do one with a full orchestra."
The Peck is part of an all-American program slated for Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The concert takes place at 8 p.m.
Conductor Larry Rachleff has also picked George Gershwin's
American in Paris,
the lovely
Adagio for String
by Samuel Barber, music that appeared in the film
Platoon,
and Carl Ruggles's cutting-edge
Men and Mountains.
Tickets range from $25 to $45. Call 831-3123.
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