German Brass Tuba player...

[mdc2d]

Just a few questions...I was watching the "German Brass 'Goes Bach'" DVD today and was trying to figure out the two horns he was using and who is he??? Thanks!

[JayW]

I would imagine he would be using a Meinl Weston....possibly the Hilgers model F tuba?

[james]

It is Walter Hilgers and he uses his model of Meinl Weston tubas in BBb and F. They are both silver plated and rotary. BBb is 4 valved. The BBb, which is huge, was found in the basement of the Berlin Opera house from I can remember of his story. Meinl Weston has copied it as the "Hilgers" model. He uses F tuba for the majority of the stuff they play and has one of the biggest bass tuba sounds I've ever heard. He also plays while standing up, as does the whole group (he uses a tuba stand). When will they be in Nebraska??

[tubatooter1940]

What kind of tuba stand does he use?
I would love to have a tuba stand that would let me stand up and play tuber.

[Tubainsauga]

K & M makes a stand for that. Don't know if he uses it, but they make one.

[tubeast]

A couple of years ago, K&M it was.
Seen at a German Brass concert in Karlsruhe, Germany.
It was right across the road from the frat house I lived at.
Hilgers was the first solo tubist I listened to when I switched to tuba, btw. Bought the "Tuba Tubissima" CD to celebrate the occasion.

[hubert]

Walter Hilgers indeed uses Melton/Meinl Weston instruments. Mostly he plays an F-Tuba Modell H with special features made for him. The Bb is the Modell 198, made after an early Bohland and Fuchs tuba, he found someday in an opera house. For these instruments see the website of Melton//Meinl Weston.
He really plays marvellous. For CD's look at the German Brass website.
Hubert.

[finnbogi]

Hilgers was the first solo tubist I listened to when I switched to tuba, btw. Bought the "Tuba Tubissima" CD to celebrate the occasion.

Tuba Tubissima was also the first tuba solo CD I bought, and I really liked it. A few weeks later I even ordered the sheet music for the pieces Hilgers played. I had, however, only recently started taking tuba lessons so it took a few years before I could actually play them.
I still play the Bach and Händel transcriptions in church every now and then.