Strauss 1 with Oklahoma City Philharmonic
Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 11:50 am
On Saturday, April 24th, at 8:00 p.m. Central time, I will be performing the Strauss First Horn Concerto with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic on one of our major performances. This performance will be streamed LIVE and also available for two weeks after the performance. Our web address for more information is OKCPhilharmonic.org.
matt g edit:
https://www.okcphil.org/concerts/bach/
This is a RARE occurrence for any orchestral tubist - something I never thought would happen. I only had to wait 62 years! Obviously this event (a tubist put in a solo role, usually reserved for the violin, cello, and piano) is extremely important for our instrument. We all benefit when one of us succeeds. If we as tubists wish to come out of the back corner of the stage to front and center, we have to do better in every single area of what it means to be a professional musician. My opportunity didn't happen by chance.
My job as soloist - especially playing a major horn concerto - is to play it better than any horn player can play it and convince everyone that it must have been written for the tuba, not the horn. It cannot be, "pretty good for a tuba player."
Anticipating the question: "Why did you choose the Strauss?" On this program is the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and Schumann's Symphony No. 3. It didn't make sense to play the Vaughn Williams on this program, and I was given the freedom to play anything I chose. The instrumentation for the Schumann aligned better with the Strauss, and we're dealing with Covid protocols and tight budgets to struggle through our unusual season. Plus, I love this horn concerto - and you should always choose music you love to play in public. If you love it - your audience has a better chance of loving it too.
Please don't take offense to this, but in many ways, we as tubists are our own worst enemy. How does the general public view a tuba player? How do other musicians in the orchestra view a tuba player? In my particular situation as soloist next week, it feels like a lot of people in the orchestra, including the Music Director are holding their collective breath, not knowing exactly what to expect. "A tuba player as soloist - playing a horn concerto?" Our job is to surprise them all - giving them far more than what their expectations may be. Who knows, maybe one day it will be on Youtube!
matt g edit:
https://www.okcphil.org/concerts/bach/
This is a RARE occurrence for any orchestral tubist - something I never thought would happen. I only had to wait 62 years! Obviously this event (a tubist put in a solo role, usually reserved for the violin, cello, and piano) is extremely important for our instrument. We all benefit when one of us succeeds. If we as tubists wish to come out of the back corner of the stage to front and center, we have to do better in every single area of what it means to be a professional musician. My opportunity didn't happen by chance.
My job as soloist - especially playing a major horn concerto - is to play it better than any horn player can play it and convince everyone that it must have been written for the tuba, not the horn. It cannot be, "pretty good for a tuba player."
Anticipating the question: "Why did you choose the Strauss?" On this program is the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and Schumann's Symphony No. 3. It didn't make sense to play the Vaughn Williams on this program, and I was given the freedom to play anything I chose. The instrumentation for the Schumann aligned better with the Strauss, and we're dealing with Covid protocols and tight budgets to struggle through our unusual season. Plus, I love this horn concerto - and you should always choose music you love to play in public. If you love it - your audience has a better chance of loving it too.
Please don't take offense to this, but in many ways, we as tubists are our own worst enemy. How does the general public view a tuba player? How do other musicians in the orchestra view a tuba player? In my particular situation as soloist next week, it feels like a lot of people in the orchestra, including the Music Director are holding their collective breath, not knowing exactly what to expect. "A tuba player as soloist - playing a horn concerto?" Our job is to surprise them all - giving them far more than what their expectations may be. Who knows, maybe one day it will be on Youtube!