Tenor Tuba in Holst "Planets"

[JTJ]

Just a post to say I am having a fun experience rehearsing the Host "Planets" with the Duke University Medicine Orchestra, for a concert on May 3rd. This is a strong amateur group and is going to do a fine job with the piece.

It's my first time playing in a string orchestra, and the scoring for euphonium ("B flat Tenor Tuba") has a much different feel that that for wind orchestra -- often very exposed, more soloistic, frequently playing on top of the low brass, and at times over the entire orchestra. Several movements are tacet and there are a lot measures to count, but it is an orchestra...

Worth jumping at the chance if it ever comes your way.

John

[ghmerrill]

I have put it in my calendar and will do my best to attend.

[bbocaner]

awesome that you get a chance to do that! good luck!

[daruby]

John, so glad you are doing Planets. These days, most orchestral tubists and/or trombone players want that plum for themselves.

[RickF]

What a great experience John. I'm sure you'll do great. Wish I could hear it.

[Davidus1]

Enjoy the experience. Glad its going well for you!

[davewerden]

Good for you, John! The Planets is on my bucket list (never played it except transcriptions in the CG Band) But I hope I'm in better chop shape than I am right now if I get called!!

[Snorlax]

Good for you, Mr. JTJ!! Do you prefer Jupiter or Mars?

[JTJ]

Thanks for the nice comments. I got lucky with this gig. A friend of mine who plays horn in the orchestra alerted me that they were programming the Holst. So I emailed the director, who knows me because I have subbed a bit with the Duke Wind Symphony, which she also directs. She got back to me after a few weeks and said they would be glad to have me play the concert. I believe, but don't know for sure, that a trombone player would have played the euph part otherwise.

There are euph parts on Mars, Jupiter and Uranus. I guess I would go with Mars as my favorite, although all three are fun. Mars requires some no-holding-back-playing, primarily those concert G octave jumps near the beginning, where you have to play over the entire orchestra, and secondarily some driving, back and forth solo lines with trumpets which come along several times throughout the piece. Mars also requires a strong high concert B as part of a tutti melody section. In wind arrangements Jupiter is lovely for euphs because you get the hymn like melody; in the orchestra that stays in the strings and you get to count measures while enjoying their playing. There is a bit of solo play in Jupiter but not the main melody. I've never played Uranus before, so it is new to me in any form. It has some spirited play for the euph and a couple of neat little solos, but Uranus demands a good high range -- you have got to play and sustain the high concert B in several measures at the end, and the high concert C in one measure with a ffff marking.

I don't want to make too much of this. Technically, much brass band and some wind band writing is far harder for euph. But you do have to be sure of yourself, play out and have a good high range. Its fun to play in the orchestra and I am reminded of what Steve Mead has said about just how much the euphonium would have added to the orchestra had it made it into the standard configuration: it adds depth to the low brass, bridges to the horns and blends beautifully with strings. It's sad our instrument only made it into a handful of works....

[tampaworth]

There are euph parts on Mars, Jupiter and Uranus. I guess I would go with Mars as my favorite, although all three are fun. Mars requires some no-holding-back-playing

Sounds like a blast! In contrast, our community band is currently playing a watered down arrangement of Mars by William Owens with a rather dull euphonium part I'll have to give the orchestral arrangement a listen on youtube. This is a wonderful opportunity to shine. Enjoy!

[JTJ]

Here's a nice video of Mars, with a closeup of the euph at 1:07 doing those octave Gs. Several nice closeups of the euph happen throughout the movement, like at 2:10 for example.

Does anyone know the name of the man playing the euphonium? (note the first valve trigger)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGGlL1wexQk

John

[daruby]

John, don't know the euphonium player. The 1st valve trigger is usually indicative of a Courtois euphonium, though in the early days (before the Prestige), Nick and Bob Childs had them fitted to their Sovereigns.

Doug

[davewerden]

Miraphone offered a similar trigger, too, which operated 1 & 3 simultaneously. I saw Jean Pierre Chevalier do a live recital and he demonstrated it (in either 1980 or 83, I think). The tops of the valves look kind of distinctive, but I don't have a good enough memory to recognize the brand based on that.

[Snorlax]

What ever happened to JP Chevallier? He made that one CD, which I really liked, and then nothing else. Any hint?

[bbocaner]

Ohh, that's a good recording! Mick Mulcahy has a similar trigger on his Willson, if I'm not mistaken.