Favorite Warren Deck recording?

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tubapress
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Re: Favorite Warren Deck recording?

Post by tubapress »

doublebuzzing wrote:One recording to skip is the Bruckner 7 with Masur. The engineers did something to the low brass so that you can hardly hear them. I was so disappointed. I remember studying Bruckner 7th and being very excited to hear Warren's playing on that recording. Alas, Teldec really screwed up if you were excited to hear this low brass section.
Actually, I don’t think this is Teldec’s doing. When Kurt Masur arrived, in what I believe was his attempt to show he was boss, the low bras especially the tuba got the MAJOR hand. As the relationship wore on, the leash was gradually extended, but they were rarely allowed to play with the kind of volume they did under Mehta. There are actually some really beautiful things in that Bruckner 7, which was the inaugural concert for Masur. Low brass presence is NOT one of them. This is even more so for the Franck D Minor recording. I went to one of those performances and was so disappointed that the the maestro basically all but removed the tuba presence in the balance.

Indeed, I was a student at Manhattan School of Music when Masur had his very first rehearsals with the NY Phil. Through some scheduling snafu, Avery Fisher Hall was not available to then, so they rehearsed at MSM! They were rehearsing Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. I remember how upset Warren was about getting the hand constantly.

So in this case, can’t blame the engineers.
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Re: Favorite Warren Deck recording?

Post by happyroman »

tubapress wrote:
doublebuzzing wrote:One recording to skip is the Bruckner 7 with Masur. The engineers did something to the low brass so that you can hardly hear them. I was so disappointed. I remember studying Bruckner 7th and being very excited to hear Warren's playing on that recording. Alas, Teldec really screwed up if you were excited to hear this low brass section.
Actually, I don’t think this is Teldec’s doing. When Kurt Masur arrived, in what I believe was his attempt to show he was boss, the low bras especially the tuba got the MAJOR hand. As the relationship wore on, the leash was gradually extended, but they were rarely allowed to play with the kind of volume they did under Mehta. There are actually some really beautiful things in that Bruckner 7, which was the inaugural concert for Masur. Low brass presence is NOT one of them. This is even more so for the Franck D Minor recording. I went to one of those performances and was so disappointed that the the maestro basically all but removed the tuba presence in the balance.

Indeed, I was a student at Manhattan School of Music when Masur had his very first rehearsals with the NY Phil. Through some scheduling snafu, Avery Fisher Hall was not available to then, so they rehearsed at MSM! They were rehearsing Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. I remember how upset Warren was about getting the hand constantly.

So in this case, can’t blame the engineers.
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Last edited by happyroman on Wed Apr 03, 2019 9:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
Andy
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Re: Favorite Warren Deck recording?

Post by happyroman »

doublebuzzing wrote:One recording to skip is the Bruckner 7 with Masur. The engineers did something to the low brass so that you can hardly hear them. I was so disappointed. I remember studying Bruckner 7th and being very excited to hear Warren's playing on that recording. Alas, Teldec really screwed up if you were excited to hear this low brass section.
I remember watching that performance of Bruckner 7 on PBS and it was awesome.
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Re: Favorite Warren Deck recording?

Post by happyroman »

the elephant wrote:This one, always and forever. Flat out incredible playing.
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I bought this and have to admit I was disappointed. Not so much in Warren, but in the brass section as a whole. It seemed to me that Masur's influence had turned the brass into a more European style. I have to admit that every recording of Bruckner 4 is compared with the Barenboim/CSO and to my ear, none come up to that standard of brass playing. JMHO.
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Re: Favorite Warren Deck recording?

Post by tubaport »

What a great thread! I personally love all the Mehta recordings I’ve come across that Warren played on with NY. Some of his stuff with Dallas is also fun! Warren’s depth of sound is something we don’t get enough of in most tuba playing among our major orchestras. It makes me wish section playing was most important on auditions (as opposed to playing solo literature) so that those that have that depth of sound can shine.
Kyle Hurst

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Re: Favorite Warren Deck recording?

Post by toobagrowl »

tubaport wrote:Warren’s depth of sound is something we don’t get enough of in most tuba playing among our major orchestras. It makes me wish section playing was most important on auditions (as opposed to playing solo literature) so that those that have that depth of sound can shine.
This ^ :!:
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Re: Favorite Warren Deck recording?

Post by swillafew »

I got to play Warren's childhood horn in a lesson with Abe Torchinsky when my own instrument couldn't be made available.

It was a very small horn, nothing to mention. Knowing nothing of the situation, I said something negative about it and was immediately schooled.

Mr. T's holy word about the subject: "Warren could make a chair sound good".
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