The John Williams Tuba concerto

[Mary Ann]

Just heard Baadsvik play that with Singapore, on the radio. I don't think I had heard it before, although clearly I should have. Other than the obvious WOW on the performance, here's what I have to say about that: I can play the Cor Anglais part. The tuba part is so far out of reach that it might as well be a xylophone part. Can any of you guys actually play that concerto?

[bloke]

I played the Tennessee premiere of it in 1994. I put a recording of it up here for two or three days but didn't want to leave it up here, because the orchestra sounded so bad. If you will look back through history, you will see that we had an ice storm that year, and that caused the twenty or so ringers who were hired to have only seen the music once, and the others were sounding as they usually sounded in their rehearsals. ( I was shocked that the concert was not canceled.)

I guess I could stick it back up here one more time, but I wouldn't want to keep it up here. fwiw, I believe I played the solo part "just fine", and I'm not a particularly kind critic of my own playing.

Probably the most exciting recording of that piece is Roger Bobo with LA. I recorded a radio broadcast years ago, loaned the cassette to someone, and they lost it.

[internalanarchy]

Lot of great performances of this on youtube.

Here's two I particularly enjoy: Gene Pokorny:

Alan Baer:

I would love to hear the Chester Schmitz premiere and the Roger Bobo one!

[bloke]

The piece wasn't completely fleshed out (or was revised later) when Mr. Schmitz recorded it.
I heard that recording once, and - rather than a bunch of runs and arpeggios - there were a whole bunch of repeated pitches...very different.

[bloke]

OK...I hosted it again...but it is unlisted.
This accompaniment was too hard for the amateur players in the orchestra.
The conductor/music director was GONE for 2/3rds of the rehearsals (hired at the last minute to play horn on a tour of "Porgy and Bess").
Was it just a bit unnerving that the twenty-or-so ringers were SIGHT-READING the concert? (Memphis 1994 ice storm) uh...yeah.
Please only listen here, and please do NOT share the link.
The English horn player was in his 70's, and had been playing for about a year.
He worked VERY hard on that solo.
the recording...
One of the amateur 2nd violinists stuck a drug store cassette recorder under their chair.



"Hey bloke, would you consider playing something with the orchestra?"
"Sure, but I would like to work up this newer piece that I hear on the radio - an amazing player in L.A. with Esa Pekka Salonen conducting..."
Google tells me that EPS began his tenure with the LAPO in 1992, so I probably first heard the piece then, finagled a manuscript copy (the solo part included in the rental score) of the part (BIG print / BIG pages...) and started messing with it c. the summer of 1993 (when I wasn't absolutely exhausted from repairs and rentals - as that's when we were both working c. 100 - 120 hrs./wk.) and played it in Feb. 1994.
(I believe it was written in the mid-1980's, but I have no idea what year it was revised/fleshed out - with all the runs/arpeggios which obviously weren't in the first version.)

[arpthark]

That first low F

Tasty with 561234.

[bloke]

That first low F

Tasty with 561234.

yup...
typical tuba players...
I played a jillion notes (cimbasso) in a big-band-plus-strings-and-woodwind concert (four years ago - SAME group I worked with last week, once again).
THREE tuba players came up afterwards..."WOW...'That' was great !!!"
(me: wondering: "What was 'great?' "...maybe...?? That Ella tune - with all those fast notes including some double-high B-flats...or what...??")
"You know !!! 'THAT' spot..."

...it was BAWM-BAWM-BAAAAWMMM !!!!! (E-flat - G - A-flat)...Elvis' arrangement of "An American Trilogy"

[Kontrabasstuba]

I practice it at the moment. Will play the German (or European - i don't know) premier concerto with Wind Band. 5 times... this year

[bloke]

I practice it at the moment. Will play the German (or European - i don't know) premier concerto with Wind Band. 5 times... this year

ernste Frage:

Enthält die Bandversion immer noch das Englischhorn oder wurde dieses Solo dem Solo-Altsaxophonisten gegeben?


clever:
no breaks between movements, but the tuba player is given a break between I and II, and has it written into the solo part to relax their embouchure on a low B-flat between II and III

[djwpe]

I was present for Alan Baer’s performance with NYP. That was a great performance. And Simon Wildman with TUSAB at the army tuba conference in 2017. Those were both great performances!!

[Doc]

...it was BAWM-BAWM-BAAAAWMMM !!!!! (E-flat - G - A-flat)...Elvis' arrangement of "An American Trilogy"

Surely those three notes were intended for cimbasso. Hell, that might be why the cimbasso was made!

[Kontrabasstuba]

I practice it at the moment. Will play the German (or European - i don't know) premier concerto with Wind Band. 5 times... this year

ernste Frage:

Enthält die Bandversion immer noch das Englischhorn oder wurde dieses Solo dem Solo-Altsaxophonisten gegeben?


clever:
no breaks between movements, but the tuba player is given a break between I and II, and has it written into the solo part to relax their embouchure on a low B-flat between II and III

I don't know yet. It's rental material from U.S.
Arr. Paul Lavender. That's still original i think (hope)

[russiantuba]

I will keep it up for a couple more weeks for sure, but here is my favorite recording—Roger Bobo with LAPO live. This wasn’t his favorite performance but was the one put on a radio program. I did the piece on a DMA recital, and would like to do it again. It is a very challenging piece to approach, and even more challenging to perform well. It is a piece that made me a better musician.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t4gp56u2ah1m ... l.mp3?dl=0

[bloke]

I will keep it up for a couple more weeks for sure, but here is my favorite recording—Roger Bobo with LAPO live. This wasn’t his favorite performance but was the one put on a radio program. I did the piece on a DMA recital, and would like to do it again. It is a very challenging piece to approach, and even more challenging to perform well. It is a piece that made me a better musician.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t4gp56u2ah1m ... l.mp3?dl=0

I could have sworn that the radio-broadcast recording of him I heard featured far fewer goofs and unplayed pitches.
...IF (??) this is the same recording I used to own (cassette from radio), maybe (??) I just didn't yet know the piece - when listening to it.

It's still a whole bunch more exciting than most others I've heard - some of which are just too "careful"-sounding.

I only posted mine (with the disastrous accompaniment) to answer Mary Ann's question,

Can any of you guys actually play that concerto?

to which I answered, "Decide for yourself".

[russiantuba]

@bloke after Bobo played this, John Williams edited the solo part upon meeting with Bobo to discuss. Someone told me this was the broadcast and how it was the worst of the three performances. It could be possible that broadcasts of the other performances made it around the country. This recording sure does sound like Bobo to me.

[Oedipoes]

The performance of Hans Nickel with the WDR-Synfonieorchester is outstanding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyiDwtve-LY

[zac100]

I will keep it up for a couple more weeks for sure, but here is my favorite recording—Roger Bobo with LAPO live.

Apologies for digging up an old thread. But what year was this recording made? My understanding is that Bobo performed this at the Hollywood Bowl in Sept. 1985...is this that performance? Or a later one?

I'm trying to trace down the source of the differences to the solo part from Schmitz's premiere performance to the published (Hal Leonard) score. The Hal Leonard has a copyright date of 1988, so the changes were made between 1985 and 1988...and I'm trying to figure out when, and what tubist he talked to about them. (This seems to line up with the HL score...at least in the few places I spot-checked)

Thanks for any information!

[JCTuba67]

I will keep it up for a couple more weeks for sure, but here is my favorite recording—Roger Bobo with LAPO live.

Apologies for digging up an old thread. But what year was this recording made? My understanding is that Bobo performed this at the Hollywood Bowl in Sept. 1985...is this that performance? Or a later one?

I'm trying to trace down the source of the differences to the solo part from Schmitz's premiere performance to the published (Hal Leonard) score. The Hal Leonard has a copyright date of 1988, so the changes were made between 1985 and 1988...and I'm trying to figure out when, and what tubist he talked to about them. (This seems to line up with the HL score...at least in the few places I spot-checked)

Thanks for any information!

Chester premiered it with Boston in 1985. I was at the premiere, and at that point I had been studying with Chester for some time. To this day, it is still the best performance of the piece I have ever heard, and nothing has really come close. I believe the premiere was on May 8, 1985. His playing had the same quality it always had: raw, deeply musical, and completely honest. I have a copy of the original part and the score signed by both Chester and John Williams

Bobo performed it in Los Angeles sometime after that, and I attended those performances as well. Personally, I did not feel they reached the level of Chester’s performances, especially sonically and musically. By that time, the edition had already been edited. From my understanding, the idea that John Williams worked directly with Bobo to edit the piece is not accurate and has become more folklore than fact. I do know they talked about it but my understanding is Chester was involved with the 2-3 later editions that came out very loosely.

There is also a recording of Bishop performing it with the Cleveland Orchestra that is excellent. He clearly had a strong connection to the piece and seemed to genuinely enjoy playing it. I believe Bishop later passed the part on to Alan Baer, and it eventually became something of a signature piece for Alan. Baer’s recording with the New York Philharmonic is probably the cleanest and most precise performance of the work. What he was able to achieve live is honestly unbelievable.

[catgrowlB]

^ I remember the Chester Schmitz / Boston Pops recording was up on YouTube for a while many years ago. It was recorded live in 1985. His recording was my favorite of these that I've heard, even though it sounds like there were a few changes made to it after he premiered it.

I believe Jim Self also performed this. Does anyone have a recording of him or the Schmitz recording?

One thing I have to mention: I'd personally love to hear this played on a large Eb tuba. These various (what sounds like) F tuba performances are unsavory to me. Too thin and flatulent in tone, especially the low register.
Sorry, but not sorry