TubeNet

Germany celebrates at least 3 major events today, among these the 60th birthday of its constitution. I don’t remember the original birthday, but I was in Germany back then as a somewhat younger person.

Part of the celebration was Staatskapelle Berlin and Barenboim doing B9 on the west side of the Brandenburger Tor. Amazing performance with superb intonation, which must have been hard in the strong sun.

No tuba in B9, but when I went to the site of the orchestra, I found this photo:
There are other segments shown also, so I don’t think a crazy photographer staged the brasses. The orchestra has 6 trombonists and 2 tubists, so there is no Stan-Kenton-type doubling at play.

I am sure that this placement will make good sense in one or more works, only none comes to my mind. Somebody in the know out there?

Klaus

imperialbari wrote: I found this photo:

Staatskapelle Berlin brasses.jpg

Somebody in the know out there?

Klaus

Obviously the conductor said: "If you two don't stop the chatter, I will put the tuba between you."

bloke’s comments lead me to a plausible explanation. The trombonists around the tubist both are bass trombonists.

From the other photos it is obviously Barenboim conducting a large scale work. Barenboim and Zubin Mehta aren’t clones of each other, but they share some background of education in Vienna.

The brass seating is not the result of a work demanding the brasses divided into antiphonal choirs, but rather it is a rearranging of the orchestration like seen, when two tubas replace two ophicleides in Berlioz. I have seen something similar in a Zubin Mehta performance of Bruckner 7. What cheated my mins was all of the horn players actually playing horns. If the back row had played Wagner tubas, I immediately had understood the situation.

Zubin Mehta and Solti have been known to reinforce the lowest Wagner tuba part with contrabass trombone, bass tuba, or contrabass tuba. What I never saw before happens here: a bass trombone reinforces the 8th horn part also when the player doesn’t play the 4th Wagner tuba. The rationale appears to be rational, as the regular bass trombone already plays along with the tuba in this section of the music.

Klaus

My guess is it's a set-up for Mahler 1. 7 horns (I only see 6 but there might be another not in the picture) and 4 trombones, with the 4th being a re-enforcement to the horn parts in the last movement.

~Ian

Note for readers of the valve trombone thread:

SLIDE Trombones!