Orchestral tubists toot their tenures without this treat!

[enewberger]

Dear friends,

This is part of my review of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's concert last week that included Berg's "Three Pieces for Orchestra" and Mahler's Symphony No. 4, with Mike Roylance's on tuba.

Here are the three pertinent paragraphs on the Berg:

"If there was one section that captured the sense of life’s struggles and death’s rigors in the Three Pieces, it was the brass. Never has this reviewer heard such stunning section work and solo brilliance as in the build-up to first, huge climax early in the first movement, with Thomas Rolf’s agonized high trumpet over broadly-bowed contrabasses, and Mike Roylance’s rocketing tuba, across the entire range, with earth-shattering pedal tones and keening upper-register cries of distress as the whole brass section clamored in sympathy. Then, with muted trombone, violins in tremolo, and muted trumpet, the volume ramped down, and a three-note descending fragment, Gb, E, Db, was tossed around. In scary symmetry the opening rumbles of bass drum and tympani returned, and the movement steamrolled into a waking state, as if after a nightmare."
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"Washes of muted brass followed the short waltz, and sparkling, solo harp arpeggios introduced the next bit of dancehall passion, a string tune of which Mantovani would have been proud, if it hadn’t lasted for but 10 seconds before giving way to Mike Roylance’s tuba.

"This was not the honeyed and limpid tuba of the “Bydlo” movement in Pictures at an Exhibition that melted the hearts of the huge crowd that came to hear YoYo Ma perform the following afternoon, and winning Roylance the second – the second! – stand-up acknowledgement from Maestro Meno. (Trust this tuba-playing reviewer: orchestral tubists toot their entire tenures without tasting this tender treat.) No, this was Roylance on the warpath, unburdening himself of a rapid cannonade of up-and-down chromatic arpeggios in precisely articulated fortissimo, leaping over howling horns and brass and scaring the Bejesus out of the assembled sinners."

You can, if you wish, read the entire review here:
http://classical-scene.com/2010/08/05/sexy-berg/" target="_blank" target="_blank

With kind regards

Eli Newberger

[Wyvern]

Great review and well done Mike! The performance was not by any chance recorded, so we can hear?

Berg Three Pieces for orchestra is not a work I know - anyone recommend a good recording?