Drum Major

MAN IN MOTION: According to Liuzzi, a tympanist joins in with the orchestra as one would "get on a moving train."

Philadelphia Orchestra's Don Liuzzi says the trick to percussion is dancing.

by Peter Burwasser

Don Liuzzi does not confound the stereotype. Like most percussionists, the Philadelphia Orchestra's principal tympanist got his start by banging pots and pans in his mother's kitchen. And, yes, there was the obligatory rock band stint. But Liuzzi is a musical artist who raises his instrument to the level of the other members of the orchestra. His tympani, as well as the snare drums, blocks, triangles and cymbals of his colleagues, are as vital to the famous sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra as are the violins and trumpets.

Given Liuzzi's broad musical background, it should not be surprising that he has developed an inclusive concept of percussion. Growing up in Weymouth, Mass., he found himself involved with a group of friends who played many different instruments. "It seemed like a good model, like a young athlete who starts out playing different sports." By the time the Liuzzi family resettled in Philadelphia when young Don was in high school, his main instrument was the French horn. He continued his horn studies at Settlement Music School with Martha Glaze Zook, beginning a relationship with the institution that is now entering its third decade.

Of course, Liuzzi came back to percussion, progressing through "snare drum, drum set, learning to coordinate the feet and hands, and then tympani." He completed his education at the University of Michigan and Temple University. Before returning to Philadelphia, he was a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Liuzzi acknowledges the utilitarian nature of his role in the orchestra, calling himself a "jack of all trades," but that does not diminish his fervor about the musical importance of his chosen instruments. "There are three divisions of percussion instruments: metallic, wooden and skin. Some make a distinction between melodic and nonmelodic percussion, but I think they are all melodic. I don't believe there is nonpitched percussion. If you listen carefully, you'll always hear the pitch." And don't get him going on cymbals. "It's one of the most expressive of instruments. Cymbals are free and warm, but strong, too. Playing cymbals was my first professional job, in Pittsburgh."

When you hear Liuzzi at work in concert at Verizon Hall, his philosophy springs to life. His tympani sound is utterly linear, defying the perpendicular physical reality of drumming. He calls it "the balance of the horizontal and vertical motions." He is, without justification, even a bit self-conscious about the sense of dance that he portrays when he plays, but it is wonderful to witness the manner in which Liuzzi throws his whole body into his music-making. He is also keenly aware of the primal importance of song in music, as he transforms his concept of melodic percussion into sound. When he talks about the kind of music-making he aspires to, he uses the language of motion; a tympanist joins in with the orchestra as one would "get on a moving train. You have to have a sense of the moment in time, the pulse. Dance is huge."

It is a philosophy he attempts to imprint on his students. Teaching has always been a major part of Liuzzi's career. He is currently on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he is undoubtedly training the next generation of orchestra tympanists, but his flock covers a wide range of abilities. This is a man, after all, who has visited Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and has given master classes around the world. "I love teaching at all levels. I try to get my students to learn the freedom of getting the stick to bounce. Percussion is not about hitting. You don't dictate the sound, you react to what it gives. That's a really big lesson."

This weekend, Liuzzi returns to Settlement as a part of their alumni recital series, with a master class and a multi-instrument percussion recital seemingly designed to showcase his musically democratic ideals. The master class is open to the public, and the recital is a neat reflection of his career. He will start out with Bach as arranged for the marimba, then will play music by Rolando Morales-Matos and Kevin Erickson that celebrates the narrative impulse. The rest of the program is given to the music of Maurice Wright, a Temple colleague whose work, according to Liuzzi, "moves at different levels, shifting traditions. You can't pin it down. It has drive and humor." For Wright's music, he will be joined by percussionist Tony Orlando and violinist Hirono Oka.

The programming of Wright's music might also symbolize Liuzzi's happy role as a Philadelphia musician. Despite his New England roots, Liuzzi has become a true blue local fixture. He recalls the feeling as far back as his move here as a teenager. "I knew that moving to Philly was a good idea." It has worked out well for all of us.

Distinguished Alumni Concert, Sun., March 6, 3 p.m., Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St., 215-320-2686, www.smsmusic.org. Master class on March 5, noon.