Mozart Requiem

[bloke]

There is a recording of this (with a request from me for a copy) but - so far - not forthcoming...though they claim they're willing for me to have it.

I thought you folks might be interested in seeing this picture...

...someone playing a cimbasso on a Mozart piece, and seated next to one of the bassoonists.

(probably not all that common a scenario)

The 2nd trombonist (who played the "Tuba Mirum") was seated immediately to my left (to my right, in the picture). The 1st (alto) trombonist is just off the right hand side of the picture (out of view)...so yes, we had (as with a performance of Schubert 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK-dg-2Y4mo ) an E-flat alto trombone, a B-flat tenor trombone, and an F bass trombone.


- yes, that's purple hair
- yes, they are a remarkably fine bassoonist
- yes, that's about a $75,000 bassoon

Wow bloke, so you were blasting that thing during Mozart?

no...I was playing "inside" the sound. Mostly that bassoonist and I had a whole bunch of 16th-notes unison lines...and thank the Lord that I was lucky enough (with this cimbasso-building project) that it plays really well in tune, about all I have to do is mash buttons and blow, and the pitch (between me at that really fine bassoonist) sounded just about like a duplicate track on a recording (instrumental lines to reinforce the bass vocalists, if not to keep them "on track"). The only time that I was overpowering the bassoon were a couple of passages (in the entire Requiem) where the music director asked the trombones to be prominent.





I felt really lucky to have been able to perform this work - whether-or-not (??) all that much of it was actually composed by Mozart.

If I ever get a copy of the sound recording, maybe I'll link it here, but - if a whole bunch of cimbasso is heard in the mix - I will be somewhat disappointed, as that wasn't what I was striving to achieve.


one last comment: (re. optics)
I built the "bell securing position" (a sliding lock ALONG WITH a tension ring) to position the bell up higher...but (at least for a year), I've been using the tension ring ONLY and positioning the bell as shown in the picture. It draws less attention, looks less "Dr. Seuss-like", and the bell angle lines up with the other trombone bells.

[Inkin]

I built the "bell securing position" (a sliding lock ALONG WITH a tension ring) to position the bell up higher...but (at least for a year), I've been using the tension ring ONLY and positioning the bell as shown in the picture. It draws less attention, looks less "Dr. Seuss-like", and the bell angle lines up with the other trombone bells.

This was the first thing I noticed and appreciated in the picture. That "just one of the gang" bell position looked very appealing and something I'd never seen before in a cimbasso.

[Mary Ann]

The first thing I thought when I saw the picture is I guess that the string player in front of him is deaf now. Literally that is the first thing I thought.

[bloke]

The first thing I thought when I saw the picture is I guess that the string player in front of him is deaf now. Literally that is the first thing I thought.

yep...
They look like tornado sirens, so people (even tuba players) think that's how they must always sound.
ie. People hear them with their eyes.
I could always hear the 2nd bassoon at least as well as I could hear myself.

I had a composer friend who would say (when one or more of us were reading their compositions) "Play it as if it were real music".
cimbasso: I strive to play the (contra)bass (contra-alto?) valve trombone as if it's a real instrument.

...pops concerts...vintage rock...big band...particular 1960's and later movie scores/medleys:
"All bets are off. It's tornado siren time".

a couple of years ago:
"AFTER Beatles" (1970 and forward) pops concert (individual compositions of "the lads")...
At the very end of a (a McCartney..??) tune...a flute and cimbasso (orchestral scoring) p soli...and then a crazy-loud STINGER.
The bass trombone player laughed his (_!_) off...
me: "If the conductor is going to jump a full FOOT HIGH up in the air - off the podium - to give me the stinger, that's the f'n stinger he's going to get."