Wien Staatsoper

[Biggs]

I don't know why you're always so angry.

But why am I always so angry?

[bilmac]

I have seen our friend Halwax play what I thought was a 7 valve /paddle instrument in the Vienna opera house before , I'm not sure I counted 8 but it was certainly a lot . I assumed it was 6 valves and kicker(s) for some of the slides.Of course he sounded great. BTW you don't need to play a beast in this opera house, it's not that big. It's high but it's so responsive like almost all the good European houses that a good F is more than adequate.If it's Ring or some of the big Strauss then the Contrabass comes out since you have a big orchestra to balance. The F doesn't cut it but the part will often stipulate Contra in any event. The sheer force of the sound and the air disturbance is part of the magic at this point! I remember seeing/hearing Pisarkavicz(sp) playing Twilight on what looked like a Rudolf Meinl BB flat, it wasn't the Hirsbrunner CC he normally played , I'm pretty sure. It wasn't a shy sound!
I have seen Gigler only on TV and the web. He has a small F which I don't recognise --any ideas?
The other location the Vienna players will be in is the Musikverein. Again highly resposive so that the F is just fine.
In continental Europe, there's no great need for the steroidal gear we hear sometimes.The halls/houses are part of the answer. I know we are all pushed towards bigger and bigger sounds but in continental Europe I don't think they have gone down that road. A few have , Concertgebouw seem to use the CC( with a super player behind it) but the tradional German orchestras (Dresden/Leipzig)still keep the faith.
I'm an avid listener of trombone colleagues and their gear. They are our musical First cousins.Recently, I was mightily struck by a small 45 year old King trombone , the one with the sterling silver bell, in the hands of a really good player. It was the best trombone sound I have ever heard,concise , penetrating without being brash,commanding -- a real sit up and listen sound. That's what the good F tubas and their players do-- I think.It's not about loud.
Then we have the Russians! They do it all so differently.Sounds great though but maybe not all the time.

[Untersatz]

The older Hirsbrunner F tubas with the 3+3 Viennese system (and I suppose there was also 4+3 models)
were (are) the standard tuba for most of the repertoire in the Austrian Orchestras, except for the really heavy stuff.
They have more of a contrabass tuba sound than a solo F tuba, and are not a huge instrument by any means. Listen
to the sound that Gerhard Anker of the Austrian group Die Innsbrucker Böhmische generates from his Hirsbrunner
with the older 3+3 system. I think this horn would pass for a contrabass tuba any day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pWPYeMnWaY" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank
And Gerhard is no slouch & can really play more that just oompahs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw1Jy8QZFpM" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank
(sorry for the poor video quality, but the audio is nice)
Here's one with both hands & fingers flying! @ 2:32 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9PbRH3GnDk" target="_blank" target="_blank