Midsummer Night's Dream Overture

[J.c. Sherman]

Cool Beans Bloke! That's indeed where the English Bass Horn should sit

J.c.

[Steve Marcus]

At age 53, after playing this overture innumerable times, I'm FINALLY playing it for a conductor who is allowing me to sit where I've always wished I could sit when playing it (just to the left of the bassoons). This is the PERFECT (and appropriate, imo, for a "serpente" player) place to sit when playing this overture.

The times that I have played the entire suite (with trombones on deck) I've sat "back there" and that was OK...but (frankly) sitting "back there" all by myself (or with trombone players sitting there doing nothing - waiting for the next piece on the concert after this piece - typically as a concert opener) kinda makes me "noivous". OTOH, Sitting right next to the bassoons (who play much of what the "serpente" plays) is very reassuring, supports ensemble/intonation/encourages the bassoonists to play their sharp-natured "low B natural" in tune (flat enough), etc., etc.

Great point, Bloke. One feels so isolated when you have to pop out that high E scale without pairing up with the same scale played by others a few beats earlier--or a that low E-B in the quiet section. It almost seems out of context with the rest of the piece and ensemble when you're sitting alone in the back when, in fact, Mendelssohn knew what he was doing with the hardware (ophicleide) available to him at the time. The situation is exacerbated if you're performing the entire Overture AND Incidental Music (and therein lies a place where you do belong in the back--with the trombones in the Wedding March). Your conductor is enlightened and/or you simply wore him/her down with your musically logical suggestion.

[MikeMason]

Hey Bloke,entire suite coming up next winter for me. My first time.What would you think about euphonium for this.High and soft is not my specialty

[Bob Kolada]

Get a tweener thing from J.c.

[Wyvern]

This is piece for which I would pull out the mini tuba. Alas, I have yet to play with orchestra

Seated with the bassoons makes good sense.

[J.c. Sherman]

Hey Bloke,entire suite coming up next winter for me. My first time.What would you think about euphonium for this.High and soft is not my specialty

You'll be seated with the trombones, because they play on the wedding march. You had best bring your regular F tuba, because the trombones will be equipped will have their post-modern cannons. As to euphonium, the low B♮ is tenuous at best even with a comp. euph...I haven't found one yet that has a back-side (compensating) #3 slide long enough to pull out to get low B♮ in tune...and even if they do, it's one thing to "nail" that low B at home in your den and quite another to nail it on the concert - as well as play it in tune with the bassoon.

The Ferguson attachment for the Yammy 321s allows a solid low B. On the comp Euphs, You can pull comp 3rd slide all the way out and it's damn close, especially with the 3rd tuned down a little. Finally, you can use a Yammy factory long 1/2 step 5th valve and tune the 3rd to a two step slide... at least on Yammy's from that period. In general, though, Bloke is correct as usual; but there are a few solutions.

(French C tuba)

J.c.S.

[MikeMason]

havent really dug into the part yet. maybe 2 horns on stage? im way past proving my manhood and only want to avoid embarrassment and keep my gig plenty of time to figure it out...or practice alot...

[MikeMason]

i have made some changes in my stable...you won't approve...

[KevinBock]

I was lucky enough to have recently played this piece in its entirety(with Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons accompanying some fabulous Shakespearean banter). I sat in between the horns(on my right) and trumpets(my left) in a row right behind the bassoons/clarinets and I quite enjoyed it. It certainly was a different experience being in the middle of the orchestra, it was nice to just get a different perspective. Even with me playing in their ear, the trumpets didn't mind me being right next to them as there isn't much honking at high volume and I didn't feel too detached from the bones during the wedding march as they were only a few chairs away. It was definitely a blast to play the entire work, there are some licks past that overture!

[J.c. Sherman]

Far be it for me to suggest that the musician on bass trombone balance

Aside from that, you can make a Euph nail a low B with the same poop a tuba can and nearly the quality of an over-large bass bone; it's a different sound, but that's the point. My assertion, while snarky, is from playing stuff like this, French Tuba stuff, etc. on Euph; they can honk, especially with a Bobo TT mouthpiece (for tubists); I use a Perantucci 2A on my Yamaha. But you will work for it!

J.c.S.

[MikeMason]

Thnks for all the input! Keep it coming.I got time...

[J.c. Sherman]

I'm way behind on keeping up on new instruments, esp. the JinBao. What's that mouthpiece you mentioned? I'm unfamiliar with it.

J.c.S.

[imperialbari]

http://www.dwerden.com/eu-articles-lehm ... hpiece.cfm

[Bob Kolada]

http://www.dwerden.com/eu-articles-lehm ... hpiece.cfm

That's a very nice story, but it doesn't say anything specific about the mp.
Bass/contrabone mps work pretty well in euphs.

[Ben]

Mike,

I recently performed the overture with the Boosey & Hawkes optional trombone parts included. My feelings about this addition do not matter, but needless to say, we had trombones on the stage during the performance. I sat between the trumpets and trombones, directly behind the bassoons. The trombonists did not care for this seating arrangement, but it worked very well. (Btbn has some figures that line up with the tuba, but only on the second half of the overture... The trombones of course demolish the lovely textures in the work, go figure). I agree with Bloke - sitting too far away from the bassoons makes me nervous too.

Edit for clarification. but yup, I found the performance less enjoyable. Btw, I have done the whole work years ago, and sat on the very outside edge next to the Btbn. I remember some scary moments for a college sophomore on a 186.

[Bob Kolada]

Sounds like it's Eb time.

[Bob Kolada]

Huh? That's an easy note. I picked up my King after not playing it more than 30 minutes in the last month (or more....) and nailed that line. Low C and B ain't too bad either.

[Wyvern]

with all of those wretched high E naturals...

That was a note I dreaded when I played a MW 2040/5 - a very difficult note to pitch on that tuba to the extent I might even pull out the CC in preference for pieces including high E

[justben]

Here's a decent recording of MND: http://instantencore.com/music/details.aspx?PId=5085394" target="_blank

The tuba player's not bad either!