Mozart Requiem
Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2024 7:42 am
There is a recording of this (with a request from me for a copy) but - so far - not forthcoming...though they claim they're willing for me to have it.
I thought you folks might be interested in seeing this picture...
...someone playing a cimbasso on a Mozart piece, and seated next to one of the bassoonists.
(probably not all that common a scenario)
The 2nd trombonist (who played the "Tuba Mirum") was seated immediately to my left (to my right, in the picture). The 1st (alto) trombonist is just off the right hand side of the picture (out of view)...so yes, we had (as with a performance of Schubert 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK-dg-2Y4mo ) an E-flat alto trombone, a B-flat tenor trombone, and an F bass trombone.
- yes, that's purple hair
- yes, they are a remarkably fine bassoonist
- yes, that's about a $75,000 bassoon
The only time that I was overpowering the bassoon were a couple of passages (in the entire Requiem) where the music director asked the trombones to be prominent.
I felt really lucky to have been able to perform this work - whether-or-not (??) all that much of it was actually composed by Mozart.
If I ever get a copy of the sound recording, maybe I'll link it here, but - if a whole bunch of cimbasso is heard in the mix - I will be somewhat disappointed, as that wasn't what I was striving to achieve.
one last comment: (re. optics)
I built the "bell securing position" (a sliding lock ALONG WITH a tension ring) to position the bell up higher...but (at least for a year), I've been using the tension ring ONLY and positioning the bell as shown in the picture. It draws less attention, looks less "Dr. Seuss-like", and the bell angle lines up with the other trombone bells.
I thought you folks might be interested in seeing this picture...
...someone playing a cimbasso on a Mozart piece, and seated next to one of the bassoonists.
(probably not all that common a scenario)
The 2nd trombonist (who played the "Tuba Mirum") was seated immediately to my left (to my right, in the picture). The 1st (alto) trombonist is just off the right hand side of the picture (out of view)...so yes, we had (as with a performance of Schubert 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK-dg-2Y4mo ) an E-flat alto trombone, a B-flat tenor trombone, and an F bass trombone.
- yes, that's purple hair
- yes, they are a remarkably fine bassoonist
- yes, that's about a $75,000 bassoon
no...I was playing "inside" the sound. Mostly that bassoonist and I had a whole bunch of 16th-notes unison lines...and thank the Lord that I was lucky enough (with this cimbasso-building project) that it plays really well in tune, about all I have to do is mash buttons and blow, and the pitch (between me at that really fine bassoonist) sounded just about like a duplicate track on a recording (instrumental lines to reinforce the bass vocalists, if not to keep them "on track").Wow bloke, so you were blasting that thing during Mozart?
The only time that I was overpowering the bassoon were a couple of passages (in the entire Requiem) where the music director asked the trombones to be prominent.I felt really lucky to have been able to perform this work - whether-or-not (??) all that much of it was actually composed by Mozart.
If I ever get a copy of the sound recording, maybe I'll link it here, but - if a whole bunch of cimbasso is heard in the mix - I will be somewhat disappointed, as that wasn't what I was striving to achieve.
one last comment: (re. optics)
I built the "bell securing position" (a sliding lock ALONG WITH a tension ring) to position the bell up higher...but (at least for a year), I've been using the tension ring ONLY and positioning the bell as shown in the picture. It draws less attention, looks less "Dr. Seuss-like", and the bell angle lines up with the other trombone bells.
