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Not staying entirely on Volga:

Not being on top of this composer’s data I read about him being out of the instrument making family Glier. Glier is a common name in the Markneukirchen music industry. This spelling tells about the Protestant branch of the family, which was thrown out of Bohemia and found an asylum in Saxony. Later on after WWII the Catholic family branch, Klier, went to Bavaria, where the mouthpiece maker is well known in brass circles.

Klaus

I've played it a few times. As I had no other tuba at the time, but my very much missed Alexander CC that's what I used. However both of those times it was the Suite from the entire Ballet "The Red Poppy". It's pretty densely orchestrated, so it was a big help to have the extra grunt that a contrabass tuba gives. If this is the only piece you're using F on, why lug an extra horn to the gig? Unless you can convince them its a different instrument and get a doubler's rate

On the face of it, an F seems a strange choice of tuba for a Russian work which was most likely written with BBb in mind - however if that what works best for you and the conductor is happy with the sound...

This is a good example of how all orchestral repertoire can be played on one tuba (of any pitch), if the player so wishes. It is mainly our personal preference and wish to produce the 'correct' tone which drives the use of multiple tubas in recent years. Did not even top pros use one for everything in the past? There is something to say for that in increased familiarity with the instrument

My concert band played Russian Sailor's Dance at our last concert. Loved it!

I was able to play the upper register passage easily enough on my Yamaha 621. However, being the "low register specialist" (that is, not the principle), I was allowed to play the lower line.

bloke wrote:or the Ouverture du Béatrice et Bénédict on a Conn 25J

Interesting enough I recently played just that on Neptune - not by intention, but the bass trombone player was taken sick and the orchestra asked me to fill the part - and the only tuba I had with me (for Sibelius 2 in other part of programme) was my Neptune

Required a very light touch!

bloke, I think it fits better on bass, too. i've played it twice in the last two years with the HSO and KSO and both times played it on my 983.

bloke wrote:Obviously, I'm not going to play a Prokofiev symphony with a baritone horn (or the Ouverture du Béatrice et Bénédict on a Conn 25J), but if a piece has long, staccato, middle high-range passages combined with terse low range "buttons" that need to "pop", I'm going to (at least) consider the F tuba.

Which part in the score for the specific Berlioz ouverture is it you are not playing on the 25J?

There is no tuba part, not even for any French variant. So maybe you are abstaining from the 1st violin part?

I looked through two editions of the score for the ouverture and almost came to believe that some valved low brass had been introduced despite it not being listed in the preface. However the two quite agile bass clef parts written below the four horns are the bassoons.

Klaus

bloke wrote:The composer is rarely on stage, and often is deceased.

Combined, that could make for an interesting performance. That's one was to get people to attend an all Schoenberg concert!

I've always played it on my C tuba, lays well, not a lot of work. The sostenuto poco after 85 seems to yield more of a characteristic sound with the bigger tuba. 134 to 145 is a big breath and I could see why an F tuba would be considered but looking at the overall context I would leave the F tuba in the tacet mode.....and I love every opportunity to pull out the F.

I played it a couple of months ago on a BBb Frankentuba similar to a King 2341, because that's the horn that I like; no problem. I am sure that very few people care what key your tuba is, so long as they hear the right notes played cleanly.

bloke wrote:Regarding the choice of instruments, I'm not much of "composer's original intent" or "specific instrument used in the time/place of the composer" person.

Well hallelujah! Somebody said it out loud (metaphorically speaking).

I've never thought of playing this on F tuba before, but now that I've thought about it... I would. The fact that it is a pops concert makes it a good place to see how it works. Let us know after the gig.

Since the part is mostly in unison or octaves with the trombones, I think it will be a nice fit.