Lebedev Solo with Band?

[Art Hovey]

A while back somebody posted a You-Tube link to a military band performance of the Lebedev Tuba Concerto with band accompaniment.

Does anyone know if that arrangement is published? If so, where can it be purchased?

[musikfind1]

LEBEDJEW,[Lebedev] Alexej (Alexey) Konstantinovich (b. Dankov, Russia, 9 January 1924; d. Moscow, 1993)

Konzert Nr. 1 für Tuba / Baßposaune und Orchester (composed 1947, pub. 1950, rev.1980)
Arr. for band by Joseph T.SPANIOLA (b. 7 May 1963)
Pub: Joseph T. Spaniola Music
Website: http://www.josephspaniola.com/index.html" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank
1702 Graduate Way Pensacola, FL 32514
T: (850) 494-7883 Cell:(719) 660-0114 Cell
Email: jtspaniola(at)aol.com

As this work is under copyright the arranger would need to certify that if this is an authorized transcription.

[ralphbsz]

Does anyone know of a recording of "the Lebedev" with band? (I'm saying "the Lebedev", because there is actually more than one concerto for tuba by Lebedev; I'm referring to the commonly known number one, in one movement, which was also edited by Ostrander so it can also be done on a bass trombone).

The Lebedev concerto has been discussed here a few times; it seems to have actually been written for tuba solo and wind band, with the composer making a piano reduction of the band part. Given that the piano part is very "pianistic" (it feels to me like "Rachmaninoff light", just up my alley), I suspect that Lebedev either had help from an experienced pianist of the Russian school when making the piano version, or that the piano part was written first, and he later orchestrated it for band. It makes sense that he wrote a concerto for tuba and band, because he was not only Russia's premier tuba teacher at the time, but also seems to have been involved with (or in charge of?) the band at the Moscow conservatory. It would be easy to imagine that he wrote a concerto for his students, to be performed with "his" band.

There are a few recordings on youtube with piano; some are good, some are medium, and some are works in progress. There are a few commercial CDs with the solo on bass trombone, and there is even David Zerkel's CD with the tuba version. Unfortunately, I have not been to find a single recording with band anywhere. We have the Ostrander sheet music at home; I'll order the original piano version from Hoffmeister in Germany (Ostrander simplified the solo part a little bit for the bass trombone, and he removed a few bars from the piano part). Unfortunately, the band score is not available for sale; according to Hoffmeister's website, you can only rent it together with the rental kit of band parts.

Why do I want to hear the band version? My son's tuba teacher put the Lebedev on his list of "order this sheet music to practice soon", and the Ostrander version arrived last week. It seems a bit too hard for my son, but he likes it (it's a lot of fun), so now we wanted to see whether we can hear what the "big" version would sound like.

[Art Hovey]

Here's the unauthorized arrangement of the Ostrander version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBIDrZD-XI4

[ralphbsz]

Some corrections to an older post. I just received both the piano version and the orchestral score of the Lebedev concerto (you can order them from Hofmeister in Germany, look for Alexej Lebedjew, different spelling). The title page says that is has been revised in 1980 (presumably by the composer, no arranger/editor is listed, and Hofmeister is a high-brow publisher who would list such details). The copyright date is 1999, and the scores look like they have been very carefully engraved, probably even computer typeset, so the copyright date is probably when they made new plates. By the way, the tuba solo is very readable and cleanly typeset, unlike the Ostrander version.

The Lebedev concerto has been discussed here a few times; it seems to have actually been written for tuba solo and wind band, with the composer making a piano reduction of the band part.

Incorrect. Even though Mr. Lebedev seems to have been in charge of bands at the Moscow conservatory, the concerto is scored for traditional orchestra: Normal strings, two flutes, two oboes (second one doubling english horn), two clarinets and no bass clarinet, two bassoons and no contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, no trombones and no tuba (other than the soloist, ha ha), timpani, and a pretty prominent harp. The scoring is not super-heavy; it's not like a Rachmaninoff or Shostakovich symphony, more like a Gliere or Prokofiev concerto. Note the prominent absence of low woodwinds and brass, for the obvious reason of making the soloist stand out more. The double basses usually just follow the cellos, sometimes in a simplified version.

I'm by no means an expert in orchestration (and I've never been an orchestra musician, being a piano player only), but the score looks to me to be a competent, perhaps unimaginative orchestration, the typical accompaniment for a concerto.

Given that the piano part is very "pianistic" (it feels to me like "Rachmaninoff light", just up my alley), I suspect that Lebedev either had help from an experienced pianist of the Russian school when making the piano version, or that the piano part was written first, and he later orchestrated it for band.

Actually, the orchestration looks just normal. The reason the piano reduction is "pianistic" is that it doesn't always follow the orchestral score very closely; some of the broken chords, Chopin-esque left-hand arpeggios and "3-hand chords" in the piano version are not actually there in the orchestral score. I think what happened is that Lebedev produced both a nice orchestral score, and a nice piano version, by the expedient of not making the two slavishly follow each other.

Art posted a link to a performance of the band transcription (made by Joseph Spaniola, following the shortened Ostrander version). Still, I have not found any recording of the orchestra version. Not a big deal, it's just idle curiosity.

[jtspaniola]

My Tuba and band version of Lebedjew Concerto No. 1 is a licensed arrangement (granted by Hofmeister who controls the copyright). The arrangement is available as a rental through Musica Propria (San Antonio, TX). Here is a link: http://www.musicapropria.com/musicpages/concerto_1.html" target="_blank" target="_blank The score and parts are beautifully engraved. A preview of the score is available on the Musica Propria website.

I am happy to address any questions about it. Reply here or contact me through my website: http://www.josephspaniola.com" target="_blank" target="_blank