Ride

[bloke]

How many people practice and practice and practice and practice and practice and practice and practice that thing, but never get to play it?

I played it yet again tonight, and covered the fourth trombone part (cimbasso) until 2/3 of the way through (where the big loud long chords are) where I switched to tuba and played the final major key passage on the contrabass (B-flat) tuba. This is also what I did last time I played it.

I must say, it's tons of fun (particularly playing all that stuff, and not just sitting and waiting to play the last time through) and a whole bunch more fun than practicing it for an audition - particularly when you're sitting next to three cracker jack trombone players.

The music director gave us a nice bow. I believe he had as much fun as we did.

This was also the night where we played that really fun John Williams tribute medley.

[Heavy_Metal]

@bloke is this "Ride" by Samuel Hazo?

[bloke]

Dick Wagner...




no...the OTHER Dick Wagner...






The 2nd slide left thumb trigger came in handy for all of those F♯'s.

[Heavy_Metal]

I know, just messing with you

[bloke]

really...??
I had no idea.



(I know of that band piece.
It's the sort of piece that a college band, the Interlochen "Wind Symphony", or - probably rarely - a DC band would perform...one of those "for the sake of playing it" types of pieces.)

...and your little dog, too !

[Heavy_Metal]

My band has played it- that's how I knew of it.

[bloke]

My band has played it- that's how I knew of it.

It's not easy.
-----------------------
I have a orchestra piece to play in March that I'm going to need to start practicing immediately, as I snatched the parts (two tuba parts) off of one of those sketchy drop box places.. you know, and never mind. There are two tuba parts, and they both look like tuba concertos, though a whole bunch of the stuff is doubled with other instruments like celli and bassoons... it's one of the few exceptions to all the others which reinforce what I nearly always say about orchestral tuba jobs, in that they are just about the hardest job to get, and just about the easiest job to keep, because usually the tuba player is not particularly challenged.

I suspect the reason that this particular symphony - that I'm referring to above - is not played very often is due to the same reason that Tchaikovsky's amazing third orchestral suite is not played very often - a suite which is basically a magnificent symphony: the reason being that it's just so damn hard.

Playing "Ride of the Valkyries" is a big deal to many us, and switching instruments and covering both of those parts might even seem to be an even bigger deal...but come on: seriously... that stuff is not hard. Think of playing the viola or cello part to the same piece. The reason that we love to play things like the Ride, the Meistersinger Prelude, and even Mahler symphonies is not because they are hard, but because they are fun.

[Heavy_Metal]

My band has played it- that's how I knew of it.

It's not easy.
-----------------------
I have a orchestra piece to play in March that I'm going to need to start practicing immediately, as I snatched the parts (two tuba parts) off of one of those sketchy drop box places.. you know, and never mind. There are two tuba parts, and they both look like tuba concertos, though a whole bunch of the stuff is doubled with other instruments like celli and bassoons... it's one of the few exceptions to all the others which reinforce what I nearly always say about orchestral tuba jobs, in that they are just about the hardest job to get, and just about the easiest job to keep, because usually the tuba player is not particularly challenged.

I suspect the reason that this particular symphony - that I'm referring to above - is not played very often is due to the same reason that Tchaikovsky's amazing third orchestral suite is not played very often - a suite which is basically a magnificent symphony: the reason being that it's just so damn hard.

Playing "Ride of the Valkyries" is a big deal to many us, and switching instruments and covering both of those parts might even seem to be an even bigger deal...but come on: seriously... that stuff is not hard. Think of playing the viola or cello part to the same piece. The reason that we love to play things like the Ride, the Meistersinger Prelude, and even Mahler symphonies is not because they are hard, but because they are fun.

If it's not fun, and one is not getting paid, why bother?

[Mary Ann]

"If it's not fun, and one is not getting paid, why bother?"

Why indeed. (Pretty sure bloke is getting paid.) -- but on the community orchestra level, even though the fun parts are sometimes widely spaced, it's because you get to play, period. I loved being in community orchestras as a tubist and as a hornist, and I hated all orchestras (pro) as a violinist. So guess which one I don't do?

[arpthark]

Humm. In my experience as a tuba player, even back when after college I was gigging often and making a few thousand bucks a year playing tuba, I have played in a bonafide orchestra twice. It's a whole realm of performance that is sort of foreign to me. But I think playing RotV would be pretty fun.

In fact, I suspect that in college I was practicing all the "fun" parts the entire time, and the real work is counting rests and staying engaged.

[Mary Ann]

I got to play both Pictures and Meistersinger in community orchestras, plus a lot of warhorse symphonies. The more fun orchestra was more of a pops orchestra, which tended to have great tuba parts. The other one, which still has its head in a dark place, is trying to compete with pro orchestras, complete with nasty conductor and high level politics.

[Heavy_Metal]

(I know of that band piece.
It's the sort of piece that a college band, the Interlochen "Wind Symphony", or - probably rarely - a DC band would perform...one of those "for the sake of playing it" types of pieces.)

Hazo has written some interesting stuff, and it usually includes some nice brass parts. My favorite so far is "Olympiada". The story goes that he wasn't thrilled with the present Olympic music, so he decided to write his own. I think I like his better:

[bloke]

Very few orchestras lack personality problems.
Sometimes it's the music director, sometimes it's some of the musicians, sometimes it's the executive director, and sometimes it's the board of directors. Sometimes it's the executive director pulling the board of directors along with the executive director's agendae...

But this isn't the topic, and I agree that there's a lot more playing at pops concerts on the tuba, and particularly fun if someone's lucky enough to have a really good in-tune cimbasso - which (4th trombone) is more appropriate for quite a few pops tuba parts

[tubanh84]

How many people practice and practice and practice and practice and practice and practice and practice that thing, but never get to play it?

I practiced it many, many, many (many) many times. Got sick of practicing it. Stopped. Went to law school.

Grew up a bit. Realized I might as well be a good player who can play Ride if/when necessary. Didn't play it for over a decade. Worked on Snedecor, Bordogni down an octave, Kopprasch down an octave. Played whatever shows anyone asked me to regardless of the music. Did solos for some group recitals. Lo and behold, when I pulled out Ride last year on a whim, I could play it. Funny enough, I could still play Fountains, Prok 5, and Symphonic Metamorphosis too.

And after all that, I've still never played Ride in a group.

[bloke]

I continue to suspect that Wagner has fallen out of favor (not completely blacklisted...as the Met did Lohengrin fairly recently, but...)

in favor of mediocre-to-laughably-bad recently-composed things.

Considering that such genius is now so seldomly programmed... Some of you who - in particular - delight in attempting to prove me wrong) RANDOMLY (please, not specifically, nor "searching for") go review ten orchestras 23-24 season programming (big five, ROPA, per-service, whatever...), come back here, and report how many Wagner compositions are found (but also - please - report the total number of compositions programmed by the ten randomly selected).

I'm not asking you to count the "mediocre-to-laughably-bad recently-composed things", as that would obviously require judgement calls.

...and yes, some Wagner (even individual selections...and - actually - "individual selections in particular") requires hiring eight to ten extras, which can cost from $5000 to $25,000.

Ride-performing (referring to the tuba part, only - over the last fifty years) - thrice on C instruments, once on a B-flat instrument...
...so once CORRECTLY.

Ride, last week:
Admittedly, it was a little bit of a pleasure to hear a group of musicians (no...no "famous" players - and not particularly well-paid, but mostly so-called "conservatory-trained") who were able to play B major/minor with good tuning, place the 16th notes in the MIDDLES of the beats (rather than the following 8th notes) and actually phrase (so as to deliver the full intended effects - including even the phrasing required for the violin "shimmer and fall" things to achieve their proper effects, etc...in addition to the not-written-into-the-music l-o-n-g crescendos/diminuendos implied in the main theme).

...but - IF you are lucky enough to have this opera excerpt programmed, and IF you have a cimbasso - and it is one that can be played in-tune, AND the orchestra didn't hire a 4th trombonist, you should REALLY consider covering that part whether-or-not any "doubling" pay. Playing ALL of that stuff (along with the trombones - who are absolutely "putting it out there") is a rush, and ten times the "rush" as waiting to the very end, having the tempo slow down, and playing it only once on the tuba.

bloke "Just because 'The Ride' and 'William Tell' were/are heard over-and-over on old TV shows, doesn't mean that they shouldn't be played to their full technical/musical/emotional effects...and actually - if done so - people LOVE hearing them again."

[Heavy_Metal]

bloke "Just because 'The Ride' and 'William Tell' were/are heard over-and-over on old TV shows, doesn't mean that they shouldn't be played to their full technical/musical/emotional effects...and actually - if done so - people LOVE hearing them again."

This.

[MikeMason]

I would add 1812 to that list. Some great stuff in there.

[bloke]

I would add 1812 to that list. Some great stuff in there.

Yes, but that piece has not been avoided by orchestras, though typically played outdoors.
As I have reported, I play it annually with a real carillon (bell tower) and real cannons - a combination which is probably quite rare. Admittedly, we start about where the drone occurs and where the French horn fanfares begin, as the piece is quite long, and playing the entire piece would dictate that other pieces on these outdoor concerts would not be able to be played.