As the principal timpanist of the Seoul Philharmonic, Adrien Perruchon stands in the back row, yet provides the orchestra’s heartbeat.

The large drums’ deep resonance and gratifying boom plays an essential role in any orchestra. Beethoven loved timpanis for their rich sound and harmonic potential.

Asked what attracted the 31-year-old musician to the instrument, he smiled. “You get to play with the orchestra, quite opposite from playing a piano,” he said.

“Although the timpani can be played solo or in a chamber setting with other instruments, in my opinion, the timpani is best heard in an orchestral setting by nature,” Perruchon told The Korea Herald. “It is a quintessential orchestral instrument, where the real fulfilment comes from (playing in the) orchestra.”

Perruchon, who came from a family of musicians, tried other instruments before focusing on the timpani. Growing up under his composer father, he played piano and bassoon, attracted by the bassoon’s part in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”

But his mind was always facing toward the back of the rehearsal room, the percussion section, even when young Perruchon was playing bassoon for a youth orchestra.

“One day, I had a chance to play the drum because the drummer was sick,” he said. “I guess I didn’t play too badly because the conductor suggested to my dad that I should pursue percussion.”

Little did he know that the moment would pave the way for him to become a professional timpanist.

He played both the bassoon and percussion quite seriously for a while until he had to make a choice. “I just didn’t had enough time to do both.”

The choice was not too hard for him when he picked percussion.

Perruchon then auditioned for a percussion position at the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra and the position happened to be a timpani part: “So I became a timpanist since 2003.”

In 2007, he joined the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He now plays for French and Korean orchestras and travels back and forth between the countries.

He enjoys playing for the Seoul Philharmonic as he believes that each orchestra has a distinct personality. “It is a mix of musical characteristics. While some countries have a great tradition in string instruments, some are known for woodwinds, just like France.

“For Korea, it has a little bit of everything, it is like jjambbong (a Chinese noodle dish with a mix of ingredients),” he said with a smile. “It’s such a young and global musical scene with musicians heralding from all around the world. Around 18 percent of Seoul Philharmonic is composed of non-Koreans.”

He says there are also a number of Korean members who studied abroad, while some studied only in Korea. “So it makes (for) a very interesting and dynamic orchestra.”

Perruchon’s casual tone suggests that it may be natural talent and luck that got him where he is. This may be partly true, but he shared one important observation as a musician: “You can never study a piece too much.”

“It is a life lesson I got from maestro Chung Myung-whun,” he added. “I had never seen maestro Chung not studying, not even a single day, even when he is performing a standard repertoire he had probably conducted so many times in the past.”

“When it comes to performing, there are lots of things you can’t control,” explained Perruchon. “The condition of the instrument, concert hall situation, the audience’s response, the acoustics, or maybe the fact that you didn’t eat well. But the one and only thing you can control is how much you study and prepare for the performance. This is in your hands.”

Also, he says that listening is important for him. “If I only had the pleasure as an instrument player, I will be very disappointed because, especially as a percussionist, there are many pieces that don’t have our parts,” he said.

When he was young, he was once frustrated because he wanted to be the one playing all the time. But now, he realizes that the pleasure of listening and playing is correlated. Music touches you whether you are a player or a listener. “If one person was touched by one note or one second of a concert, I did my job as a musician.”

Asked about his favorite repertoire, he puts it another way, saying music is like food. “Sometimes, you want to eat a burger or rice, or maybe crave coffee. That does not mean that the particular food is the best thing in the world. It means that you are enjoying (it) at that moment.”

In that sense, he has many repertoires he enjoys.

“But if it is a caviar, that is a different story,” he smiled. “Caviar is good to eat any time of the day. But I am going to refrain from telling you what my musical caviar is because it is very personal.”

Perruchon, with a decades-long music career, hesitated for a moment when asked what the timpani means for him. “It is an instrument that is very often at the heart of the music.”

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)