MUNICH PHILHARMONIC  player „goes Pop“
„Percussion goes Pop“ KOCH CLASSICS 3-6413-2  is the newly released solo-CD by Arnold F. Riedhammer, principal percussionist of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 15 compositions almost every possible percussion instrument is played by the composer himself. Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Timpani, Congas and latin percussion, snare drums, basler drum also synthesizer, and of course the drumset are joined to form an orchestra with the highest technical perfection.
Percussion goes cross-over: here the traditonal boundaries between the musical trends are breached, using instruments that are also at home in classical music but are given here modern arrangements, rhythms and „pop“ phrasing. We find stylistic elements of Latin music, rock, blues and even American rudimental marches.
Arnold F. Riedhammer is an American-born musician and composer who currently resides in Munich, Germany. He is a widely  sought-after studio musician for classical, jazz and rock recordings. From 1966 – 1970 he studied at the Richard-Strauss-Conservatory, Munich, passing his final examinations with honours in 1970.
He performed as solo timpanist in Nuremberg and Bonn and since 1974 is the solo percussionist with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and is on the faculty of the Academy of Music in Munich, Percussion Department.
In 1981, he received the first State Award of the Arts ever given to a percussionist. His many achievements as a classical soloist include live and recorded performances with such major conductors as:  Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Sergiu Celibidache, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Georg Solti, Sir Colin Davis, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and James Levine. He has recorded most of the major percussion concertos, and was the first classical percussionist to be featured on German TV, performing Andrè Jolivet’s Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra with
the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.

In the pop field, Arnold has performed and recorded with the Rolling Stones, Freddie Mercury and Queen, Liza Minelli, Wayne Newton, Liberace, Chris Deburgh, Donna Summer, Henri Mancini,
Elmar Bernstein, Lawrence Rosenthal, Jerry Goldsmith, Alex North, and most of the top European artists.

Arnold is the drummer and percussionist of one of the top performing groups in Germany, „THE MUNICH PHILHARMANIACS“ (in German, „ BLECHSCHADEN “). This brass group, all members of the Munich Philharmonic, received on German TV (ZDF) the highest recording award in Germany, „Der Echopreis“ (in the USA, the Grammy Award) for the most oustanding crossover CD of 1999, „BRASSOMANIA“.

In addition to his versatile solo performing career, Arnold is a clinician and endorser
for PEARL DRUMS, ZILDJIAN CYMBALS & GONGS, VIC FIRTH SIGNATURE STICK, and REMO DRUM HEADS.