In March, the Houston Symphony premiered an exiting new Timpani Concerto by American composer Andy Akiho (b. 1979). The performance, led by Music Director Juraj Valčuha, featured the Orchestra’s Principal Timpanist, Leonardo Soto. The Concerto was co-commissioned by the Houston Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Brevard Music Festival.
Written in collaboration with Soto and the Houston Symphony, “the piece reimagines the timpani as a melodic soloist, featuring prepared drumheads, an inverted timpani shell, and a flat-mounted bass drum across its three movements.” (Symphony.org) The composer is a virtuoso percussionist whose primary instrument is the steelpan, a drum developed in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1930s. In a previous post, we explored his chamber work for percussion ensemble, Pentalateral I.
Lawrence Wheeler writes,
The concerto’s three movements—”Sotogawa,” “Sotto voce,” and “Sottosopra”—each play on elements of Soto’s name. The first movement, titled “Sotogawa,” translates to “outer river” in Japanese. It is entirely for solo timpani and explores the outer reaches of its sound world. Prepared timpani heads produce variable pitch and resonance. As the preparations are removed, the timpani’s natural resonance is revealed.
The second, “Sotto voce,” means “under the voice” or “whispered.” It presents the timpani as a melodic instrument by means of a cantabile bass line beneath the orchestra. An ostinato note G is played by the hand chime, Thai nipple gong, and vibraphone. A lyrical clarinet melody is canonized and spreads through the orchestra, while the timpani provides the pulse. Pizzicato strings, sustained woodwind tones, brass punctuations, and a bluesy trombone solo complete the movement.
The finale, “Sottosopra” (“upside down”), flips the traditional orchestra-timpani relationship, with the timpani leading melodically and the orchestra providing the harmonic framework. It begins with double bass and harp—which happens to be a familial pairing in this orchestra. Hand-struck timpani set a faster tempo in five, while woodwind flourishes and a loud three-note figure give it a John Adams-like vibe. Akiho incorporates the huge Houston Symphony custom-made bell, the Mahler box and hammer, and a large chain that is repeatedly dropped, adding a theatrical element. After a timpani cadenza, the music drives to a close.