Geoff Prentice
What inspired you to take up your instrument?
Funnily enough, I never wanted to be a timpanist! I learned the piano as a young child, and at the age of 13 I successfully auditioned for the Royal College of Music Junior Department, and attended there as a Saturday morning student until I left school at the age of 18. When I started at the Junior College I was told I had to have a second instrument. Originally I had wanted to play the bassoon, but as we didn't have one I was put in a percussion class. I had a very inspiring teacher, and very quickly decided that this was what I wanted to do. For the first time in my life music was a social thing, which playing the piano had never really been, and I loved it!
Have you always wanted to play in an orchestra?
Since the period I was talking about - from the age of 14 onwards - yes, I really wanted to do what I do now. And I have no regrets!
When did you join the BSO?
I joined the BSO in 2008.
Are you from a musical family?
No, not at all. My mother has always been musical, and I think if she had had the opportunities to study as a child, she would have been very successful. But none of my immediate family plays an instrument.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
There have been so many, but I think if I had to pick one it would be performing and recording the Beethoven Symphonies with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Do you play any other instruments?
Yes, I'm a trained pianist, though I hardly ever play now. I also dabbled for a while with a pair of old saxophones that I have at home, but at the moment they are in the loft gathering dust. I keep threatening to get them out again one day!
What do you like most about living on the South Coast?
Well, the answer to that one has to be, "I don't!" I live in North London, where I have been all my life. I spend some nights down in Bournemouth when things get really busy, but otherwise I am still based in North London and I commute.
What would you do if you weren't a musician?
I think I would probably have ended up doing some kind of work with animals. I'm a great dog lover, and my plan when I retire is to become an eccentric living in a house overrun with dogs!
The orchestra regularly travels on a coach. Do musicians tend to socialize a lot according to their instruments?
I spent the first 28 years of my professional career with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and I was the only percussion player there. For that reason I got used to not having any section to spend time with, and used to socialize with many different people in that orchestra. Of course I now spend a lot of time with the people who sit nearest me on the platform in BSO concerts - that is inevitable. But generally I think people don't tend to group together much in their sections.
What are the challenges of playing the timpani?
As a timpanist you have to be accurate with everything you do. Ask any orchestral player who has sat near an erratic timpanist how they found it, and they will tell you! You have no one to cover you if you get lost and miss something - everyone knows about it. So I would say that even more than other instrumentalists, you have to be pretty reliable and accurate. Oh and also, you have to have a good ear. Tuning forms a huge part of what I do.
Which piece of music would you take to a desert island?
I think it would have to be a piece of Elgar - probably either the Enigma Variations or the First Symphony. I really love Elgar's orchestral music.
What's your favourite place to eat before a concert?
I almost always take a packed tea. I can't bear rushing to pay a bill with umpteen other people from the BSO who have all come to the same restaurant. So I have an M&S goody bag, which I eat at my leisure!
