Posted by Jay Bertolet on February 26, 2003 at 08:41:58:
In Reply to: For Jay Bertolet/re:Bruckner 4 posted by Chuck Jackson on February 25, 2003 at 23:42:34:
Good questions Chuck!
I'll try to answer your questions in order:
1) The biggest change is in my head. I've heard the CSO recording of this work for years and having that sound firmly planted in my brain (I've never performed the Bruckner 4 myself until now) has been quite a challenge. Jacobs does a great job in that recording but he uses a howitzer. Playing the piece on the Willson Eb means having to rethink my approach. After the first couple of rehearsals (first performance is this coming Friday) I'd have to say that as long as I don't try and straighten out the horn by trying to play too loud, I'll be okay. The Willson puts out a ton of sound, more than enough to balance the section, and my primary job will be to stay within that sound concept and not try and sound more like a big, heavy, contrabass tuba. So far, the effect is worth the effort.
2) I can't compare whether using the Eb is easier or harder because I don't have any ensemble experience with this piece. This is the first time for me playing this piece in any ensemble. I have worked on the excerpt and always prepared it using the Rudy CC. Frankly, the problems on contrabass are pretty much the problems on the Eb so I don't think there's any huge difference in that respect from an execution standpoint.
3) So far, I'd have to say that the biggest difference I hear is the more transparent blend the overall sound gets. The tuba sound doesn't dominate the overall sound as much with the Eb. Part of that is the smaller sound and part of that is my approach. I'm not trying to bury the orchestra. As a result, you can hear a lot more of the inner horn harmonies in some of the larger brass sections.
4) So far, reaction seems pretty favorable. The principal trumpet player came up to me after the first rehearsal and was curious what equipment I was using. He thought it sounded just right and that's coming from someone who has a lot of experience with the piece and only with tubists using big horns. The trombone players are very familiar with the Willson and they have always seemed to like it, as long as I have good intonation.
5) I didn't take into account either the tessitura of the piece or the key it was written in when choosing what horn I would use. These days, that just isn't much of a consideration. I did take into account what Bruckner specified. With a composer like Bruckner, who specified different horns for the individual movements in later symphonies, it seems wrong to not honor his request for a "bass tuba" in the 4th. My recent experiences with cimbasso have taught me that these guys knew more about what they were doing than I had previously understood. I'm now very reluctant these days to ignore the composer's directions when performing their works. Even something as simple as specifying precisely what instrument to use can make an enormous difference in the overall effect. For better or worse, I've bought into that thinking and we'll see if it pans out. So far, the results are definitely better.
My opinion for what it's worth...