Resonate

The Christian Science Monitor came out with an article this week   that makes it seem as if percussion concertos are growing in popularity. But here’s the thing: I’m not sure they are.

The article points out that four percussion concertos are being performed in the United States in the next month. It is indeed an exciting month for percussion because this Friday, Evelyn Glennie will premiere the percussion concerto by John Corigliano called “TriplePlay.” The article mentions how Glennie has had a significant impact on the (still small but growing) number of percussion concertos by commissioning new pieces regularly.

Concertos by Jennifer Higdon, Steven Mackey and Kevin Puts will also be performed this month, the article says. But it doesn’t say who is giving these performances, making it seem as though those are the only concertos being played by anyone.

My guess is that the article is referring to performances with professional orchestras. I don’t believe for a second that there are only four concertos being performed this month in the whole country. Every week, percussion students at music schools and conservatories are performing concertos by Paul Creston, Ney Rosauro, Joseph Schwantner and many other composers.

So yes, maybe orchestras are embracing the percussion concerto more because audiences find the spectacle of a percussionist running from instrument to instrument exciting. But this article does not give any real indication that percussion concertos are actually becoming more frequently played.