In defense of the Ophicleide

[iiipopes]

Magnificient! All we usually hear about are the deficiencies and defects of such instruments, and how the tuba became the successor, etc. It is wonderful to hear such musicality out of "archaic" "deficient" "limited" instruments, in spite of the famous Berlioz quote. Again, it's not the instrument, it's the performer who makes it great.

[J.c. Sherman]

If I'm not mistaken, the original was for viola in the keys of C minor/C Major which were kept for the bassoon edition, thus negating anything lower than a C, that note being the lowest open string on the Viola. Are you sure the performer is not doing a newer transcription?

Chuck

I'll have to look it up, but I was referring to a different work... though this is a nice bassoon transcription by the composer.