Michael Daugherty about Raise the Roof:Raise the Roof is inspired by the construction of grand architectural wonders such as the Notre Dame Cathedral (1345) in Paris and the EmpireStateBuilding (1931) in New York City. I create a grand acoustic construction by bringing the timpani into the foreground and giving the timpanist the rare opportunity to play long expressive melodies, and a tour de force cadenza. I incorporate a wide variety of timpani performance techniques: extensive use of foot ped...