I've always been aware that Danny Elfman had an affinity for Percussion, with a huge collection of percussion instruments. So it was no surprise to see his name against this Percussion Concerto. In the sleeve notes he explains that he began collecting Balafons in West Africa at the age of 18, and then he played in Indonesian Gamelan ensembles in his twenties, and these were the seeds for a strange collection of metal and wood percussion ensembles for early theatrical performances. (Incidentally, you don't get the rich supporting information in sleeve notes when consuming music through streaming or downloads, so I always prefer to get music in physical formats.) So given the right opportunities it is natural for Elfman to consider a Percussion Concerto, since his Violin Concerto called "Eleven Eleven" was recorded and performed not so many years ago. And let's be honest, there are not many Percussion Concertos in the repertoire.
Elfman explains (in the sleeve-notes again) that he met percussionist Colin Currie by chance in London, and they decided to collaborate on a Percussion Concerto. I have previously seen Colin Currie performing the World Premiere of the Percussion Concerto by Michael Torke in Edinburgh in 2001, several years after he became the first ever percussionist to reach the finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 1994. The performance on that 2001 occasion was with the RSNO conducted by Marin Alsop. At the time, Michael Torke was the RSNO's Associate Composer. Incidentally it can be exhausting watching a percussion soloist performing a work of this length, and I'm sure it is an excellent work-out for the performer too.
The studio album kicks off with the three movement "Wunderkammer" (Wonder Room) originally written for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and here performed by the Royal Liverpool Philhamonic Orchestra supported by the Kantos Chamber Choir and conducted by American conductor JoAnn Falletz. "Wunderkammer" is in essence a Concerto for Orchestra, with the first movement in particular being an exciting tour-de-force designed to show off the talents of the Youth Orchestra, or indeed any orchestra. The pace slackens considerably for the second movement which has some solo parts for strings and percussion. The third and final movement is a demented waltz which could have come from one of the composer's many film scores, with plenty to keep all orchestral sections very busy indeed and the choir returns with some wordless vocalisations.
After that exhilarating opening we come to headline work, the four movement Percussion Concerto itself. The four movements have names but their meaning is not completely clear, the first "Triangle" does not seem to feature the instrument in any significant role. The movement seems to consist of a lot of percussive ostinatos that quickly evolve and flow into each other, as we hear a rundown of the range of sounds at the soloist's disposal. The second movement is called "D.S.C.H.", a reference to Shostakovich's frequently used motif based on his initials, and no doubt this Russian composer is an influence on Elfman's own style. The music frequently pairs up two or more percussion instruments, with the soloist surely getting support from the orchestra's own percussion section. Either way it is both a fitting and harmonious use of percussion. The third movement "Down" is full of angst, with the percussion taking more of a supporting role to the strings. "Syncopate" is unambiguously a musical term, and the percussion in the opening of the 4th movement is full of syncopation while presenting a syncopated motif that recurs throughout. It goes on to enable the soloist with the opportunity to dazzle us with a virtuoso display and bring this characterful work to a wild conclusion.
The final track is the one movement "Are You Lost?" which began life as a trio for violin, voice and piano. Elfman was later persuaded to expand and adapt this Trio for choir and orchestra so that a previously unperformed work might be included on this recording. The opening section certainly has a searching enigmatic quality to it. While the choir doesn't sing any recognisable words, they nevertheless conclude the album with a question. This album is a worthy successor to Elfman's earlier foray into the classical domain of concert music, and any of his film music fans will find it immensely enjoyable as would any music fan looking for new, unusual or exciting music. The album is available to play or download from various streaming services, and it is also available on physical formats at stores such as Amazon.co.uk, or Amazon.com.
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