Posted by Tony E on July 14, 2002 at 13:55:29:
It was a true privilege to attend the John F. Baker Founder’s Recital last evening at the Puyallup High School auditorium.
The concert began with the trio of Gene Pokorny, Chris Olka, and Keating Johnson playing “Ludus for 3 Tubas” by Nelhybel. Make that 3 LARGE Tubas. Mr. Pokorny alone can shake the building, but playing in tandem with Mr. Olka on his monstrous Nirschl, and Mr. Keating on his huge Holton, the sound was simply fearsome!!! We’re not just talking dynamic range here…we’re talking visceral impact. These guys can crack out the low notes with a transient response that remind you of a good rim shot on a snare drum. Just amazing. And the highs? Forget about it…only in my dreams.
Of course, all three mentioned above also had solo performances that were a guide to musicianship for those of us lucky enough to be listening and watching.
Another highlight of the evening was hearing Loren Marsteller perform Berlioz “Song of the Flea from Damnation of Faust” on a French Ophicleide! Don’t hear that every day.
Mr. Pokorny began his portion of the recital by announcing that he intended to perform the pieces in a different order than what was printed in the program. He said he would prefer to begin by playing 5 selected movements from Visions Fugitives by Prokofiev. Indeed, he then proceeded to play 5 movements, at which point he stood up and made the following announcement…
“There are of course 3 types of Tuba players. Those who can count, and those who can’t. I see now I’m actually going to be playing six movements”. With that, to the sound of laughter and applause, he sat down and played the final movement.
Hey, when you’re Gene Pokorny, you can play however many movements you want, in whatever order you want.
Thanks to all the organizers of this special event. Well done.
Tony E