Left to right, Richard Kaufman, Patrick Russ, and Neil Percy on the stage at Barbican Hall

by Warren M. Sherk

Reporting from London, October 30, 2011

LSO principal percussionist Neil Percy joined conductor Richard Kaufman and orchestrator Patrick Russ on the Barbican Hall stage prior to Thursday night’s concert. The well-prepared Percy asked a number of interesting questions about preparations for the concert.

Russ explained his process of preparing Tiomkin’s music for the concert hall. Since the strings in the film High Noon are only represented by celli and double bass it becomes necessary to add violins and violas for concert presentation. (Of course, this means re-balancing the woodwinds and brass to match the string forces.) In the end, Pat avoids putting his own stamp on the music and in all his orchestrations his primary goal is to prepare music that best represents the intent of the composer.

Kaufman answered informative questions about Tiomkin’s life and his music. He marveled at how Tiomkin also excelled in other areas, such as his presence on American television programs in the 1950s and 1960s in which his unique personality is ever present. Kaufman concluded by commenting that it is a thrill of a lifetime to be conducting the incomparable LSO musicians.

Kaufman asked Percy if rehearsing and recording film music differed from recording and rehearsing concert music. Percy paused and admitted that he hadn’t really thought about it but that it is not that different. Music is music.