JTJ wrote:To me the whole thing seems contrived. Silly opinion meets with laboured metaphor. Truth obscured.
I have to agree. In turning it into a joke, Mr. Mead never addressed the basic issue. Is there a difference in tone between instruments played softly and instruments played loudly? Yes, and we hope that is so, because otherwise expression could be controlled by riding the gain on a sound system.
Does the euphonium have a narrower range of tonal differences between soft and loud than other orchestral brass instruments? I think with respect to trombones, horns, and trumpets, the answer must be yes. With respect to tubas, I think that depends on the tuba player and the instrument. Bobo was certainly one who demonstrated the Power Sound, which to me epitomizes the notion that loud sounds need a different timbre than soft sounds.
There are euphonium performers who can indeed vary the tonal palette considerably. Demondrae Thurmond comes to mind as one who can produce a true high-intensity loud power sound, for example. But I have to admit that most euphonium players I hear never produce that sort of power, even when they play really loud.
I will step even further out on the limb that is already sagging under me by suggesting that Fletcher's recording of the Vaughan Williams is an example of a sound that is too pretty for the music being played. There is a time to sing, a time to laugh, and even a time to scream, and all I hear is singing. It's admirably beautiful, but I confess that I prefer the renditions that make me laugh from time to time.
Rick "agreeing with Bobo even if he meant it in jest" Denney
