John Fletcher Orchestra setting

[TheodoreSmith]

I think John Fletcher is most known for his solo work, but does anyone have a recording of him in a large orchestra or doing some excerpts. I'd be really intrigued how he supports the orchestra especially since (correct me if I'm wrong) he played only an Eb in the begging of his career?

[Billy M.]

Mr. Fletcher used his Eb for a number of pieces of music, but he was fond of using a Rudy Meinl 5/4 BBb and later a CC as well as a Holton 345 CC for the contrabass stuff.

A couple of great recordings to listen for him would be Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky conducted by Claudio Abbado (I prefer this to the famous Reiner recording with Chicago), Vaughn Williams Symphony #2, Prokofiev 5, 7 (all conducted by Andre Previn), Tchaikovsky symphonies (conducted by Igor Markevitch).

He can also be heard in some of the John Williams film scores such as Superman, and the original Star Wars trilogy

[Michael Grant]

There is also a recording of him with the LSO playing Prokoviefs “Romeo & Juliet”. He does a pretty good job. Ha! He sounds amazing. Huge, fat sound. Great stuff. Andre Previn conducting. CD# EMI Classics 7243 5 68607 2 8

[tbonesullivan]

He can also be heard in some of the John Williams film scores such as Superman, and the original Star Wars trilogy

Any idea what he was playing for the Jabba the Hut tuba solo?

I would have loved to been a fly on the wall for all of the Star Wars Trilogy recordings.

[MTFULRUTUBA]

There's a great video of him playing Mahler 2 with Bernstein conducting the LSO. I'm not an equipment guy, but it looks like he is using his Holton CC on it. Sounds wonderful!

[Peach]

Here in Britain, John Fletcher is known as the consummate ALL-ROUNDER. He played 20 years in the London Symphony before his early death and any recordings from them from 1966-1986 make great listening. An easy, marvellously transparent way of hearing Fletch at the bottom of a group is to get all the Philip Jones Brass (PJBE) albums where Fletch only ever played Eb (even though you'll think he's on his big Holton sometimes).
Solo stuff is always one of his B&H Eb's I believe.
In the Orchestra he did use Eb on occasion, but he picked up his first Holton 6/4 C from Bob Tucci before joining the LSO and took some time off (3 months?) his position in the BBC Symph "To learn how to play the thing" (the Holton). Once he'd mastered the big C he used the Holton "for practically everything" in Orchestra. He did pick up a Rudi 6/4 C (I think he is quoted saying he'd have loved a Bb as well but couldn't afford it at the time).
Hope this helps a little.
MP

[tbonesullivan]

In the Orchestra he did use Eb on occasion, but he picked up his first Holton 6/4 C from Bob Tucci before joining the LSO and took some time off (3 months?) his position in the BBC Symph "To learn how to play the thing" (the Holton). Once he'd mastered the big C he used the Holton "for practically everything" in Orchestra.

Well, it does make me feel a bit better that even a master like Fletcher wasn't able to instantly make the CC tuba work, given my own problems with Contrabass tubas. I wonder if it's more of a length issue or a bore size issue. I'd love to get a larger bore Eb, but I worry it'll have the same issues.

[lownotes]

John can be heard to great effect on all the LSO Previn recordings. He was probably the first British tuba player to embrace the large CC tuba. He owned a Holton and later a Rudi Meinl. You can see him playing the Rudi on an excellent DVD of Mahler 2 conducted by Bernstein. If you don't shed tears you have no heart! LSO Rachmaninoff 2 is also quite marvellous

[macbil]

If it's the recording with Bernstein at Ely Cathedral, then that's the Holton.

[Chris Olka]

One of my favorite Fletch recordings is the soundtrack to the movie “Krull”. Composed by James Horner, Fletch sounds HUGE! The movie kind of sucks...but the music is worth the watch. I’ve heard he used the Rudy 5/4 for that. It’s an epic must-listen score.

[2ba4t]

I would add

[2ba4t]

Forgive the mis-submission.
I would add that John's greatness was not his almost unmatched brilliance as a player and all round musician with in our sphere. His true greatness was his humanity and humility. He was intellectually brilliant - having read BioChemistry or a similar subject at Cambridge. He did this on his own merit - not because of the school he went to etc. And getting in and reading a science at Cambridge is no mean feat. He did not play tuba there because there was another player but cheerfully picked up the French horn and played it fabulously (of course). If you sat behind him in - for example a Bach work - he simply lifted the entire section.
In the second half of his taped masterclass at a TUBA convention, he very whimsically and of course jokingly considers the tuba player's reception at the Pearly Gates - 'You did what??!! Oh, one of those - over there, please.' But he did really think deeply about what on earth we were all doing and to what end. He once said to me that he regretted having to rush from the Royal College to rehearsal and gigs with 'the beast' on the back seat - and therefore not seeing his kids at night etc. Playing in the UK was very different from USA and germany where you could have a 'regular' job - being the tuba player and also a normal home life - generally.
His conversations with me and advice changed my life - for the last 50 years and I am eternally grateful to him for that. I still miss him.

[GeoffC_UK]

I am a great JF fan.
Found best way to know him better, if you have FaceBook, is join this group.
Many of the group were his students and knew him personally.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/58131164250