Favorite Chester Schmitz recording?

[bisontuba]

Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet and Holst Planets-- just amazing playing....
Mark

[doublebuzzing]

Mahler 7 Ozawa on Phillips. Listen to the last few minutes and you'll hear why.

[Billy M.]

Chester Plays Opera

Boston Pops - Out of This World (Jabba the Hutt solo)

Boston Pops - Music for Stage and Screen (The Reivers, John Williams)

Steinberg - Planets

Leinsdorf - Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet

[EdFirth]

I'm a big fan. Mahler 3 with Leinsdorf and Leinsdorf Conducts Wagner, early on in his career there. The incredible sound, the fearless entrances, no matter how far the rest of the brass is laying back. Mathis Der Mahler, perfect everything that I've never heard the like of. And finally, Fiedler's Favorite Overtures, in particular, Festive Overture, and Springtime Overture. I think history will label him as the best ever. I mean like 50years from now when all the smoke clears. Ed

[jeopardymaster]

DG, Steinberg conducting, Hindemith Symphonie Mathis der Maler.

[kathott]

I am glad other people mentioned Mathis Der Maler. I heard this recording as a young player, the performance really said something to me, plus the last chorale being so definitive.
Sorry if you want life to be perfect, but a super exciting moment is hearing the tuba play in a hole (3rd mvt. after #11) - a spot other players have fallen into as well

[EdFirth]

Sibelius 1 with Colin Davis on Phillips. Best sound in the world.

[Dan Tuba]

Saving Private Ryan soundtrack. His sound is absolutely amazing!

[Tom Gregory]

I don't think that was Chester. It was Gary Ofenloch and Chris Hall. They sounded great though.

[Billy M.]

That's right, Tom. I asked Chester about it when I was taking lessons with him and sure enough he said "Nope, that wasn't me."

[doublebuzzing]

I think history will label him as the best ever.

Some of us feel that way already.

For all the mentions of the Steinberg/Planets recording, let's be clear as to why it's notable.
He recorded the Tenor Tuba part playing F tuba. That's right, the whole part on F tuba.

I have yet to walk on water.

I think it's impossible to objectively say he was better than Warren Deck, Roger Bobo, Gene Pokorny, Arnold Jacobs, Floyd Cooley, etc, etc. I have my preferences but I wouldn't say that can be at all objectively measured.

[poomshanka]

Canadian Brass - Red, White and Brass. BSO, NYPO and CB. IMHO, some of the most amazing recorded brass playing I've ever heard.

Boston Pops - Salute to Hollywood. Chester absolutely swallows the orchestra on the first note of Hooray for Hollywood. Great playing on the rest of the CD as well.

[tclements]

ALL of them. Re: he is a GREAT musician and tubist.

[glangfur]

I'm not really an aficionado of orchestral recordings, but I had the great fortune of sitting next to Chester fairly often for a few years and hearing him live in Symphony Hall. The sound that sticks in my mind is from the Berlioz Requiem performances which led to this recording, which was the first time I ever played as an extra with the BSO. I was playing in the choir in the back balcony, audience left, between Chester and my teacher, Norman Bolter.

Chester took his big Yorkbrunner down to the stage with him for the last couple of movements, and the sound of him playing the melody in the middle of the Offertorium was just glorious, not really captured well on the recording unfortunately. I always admired and have tried to emulate his ability to figuratively flick a switch to go between the sound that you can't exactly identify but makes the whole bass voice section of the orchestra sound huge and a soloistic sound that soars over the top of the ensemble.