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After listening to all of these, I find myself wondering what it would sound like with the "tuba" parts played on one tuba and one baritone saxophone.

Mostly, it's usually played too damn loud. It's not supposed to be obnoxious and out of place. Rather, it's supposed to be ominous and frightening. I'm thinking about the worst I ever heard was an LAPO recording, and I hope it wasn't the players' idea but the music director's idea.

There is so little for the second tuba to do (particularly as much racket as modern tubas are capable of making) that it's pretty silly to hire a second tuba to play that piece - other than when required contractually. Particularly when two are playing, the decibel level needs to be lowered even more and the "mysterioso/ominouso" needs to be raised up roughly 200%.

The bassoons are there already (to add a reedy type of sound, and they are playing in their lowest register so it's particularly reedy).

bloke wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 11:58 am Mostly, it's usually played too damn loud. It's not supposed to be obnoxious and out of place. Rather, it's supposed to be ominous and frightening.

There is so little for the second tuba to do (particularly as much racket as modern tubas are capable of making) that it's pretty silly to hire a second tuba to play that piece - other than when required contractually. Particularly when two are playing, the decibel level needs to be lowered even more and the "mysterioso/ominouso" needs to be raised up roughly 200%.

The bassoons are there already ( to add a reedy type of sound, and they are playing in their lowest register so it's particularly reedy).

I think it sounds better and more ominous "more reedy" rather than "less reedy".

I recall reading about maybe Gene Pokorny (?) playing this part down an octave or two on a F tuba perhaps to amplify the ominousness.
Is there a recording (commercial/youtube/whatever) of anyone doing that?

With the tuba player(x) not making a jackass out of themself(xx), the reedy bassoon sound comes through just fine.

I remember seeing a YouTube with the first part played on baritone (euphonium). It might have been an OLD recording of the Boston Symphony.

What bassoon?

Rick “quoting a symphony player” Denney

#1 is Berlioz' original instrumentation: one serpent and one ophicleide. The balance seems perfect with bassoons as well.

Atlanta's doing it with two French tubas next month.

UncleBeer wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 7:09 pm #1 is Berlioz' original instrumentation: one serpent and one ophicleide. The balance seems perfect with bassoons as well.

Atlanta's doing it with two French tubas next month.

is UncleBeer coming to Atlanta to do that?

So - as one serpent and one ophicleide is perfect, why French tubas...?

I think quite a few of us have heard that recording on YouTube where one of each of those is used, and it really is quite good, particularly since the players play those instruments so well.

bloke wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 7:18 pm So - as one serpent and one ophicleide is perfect, why French tubas...?

As hard as it is finding folks to play this on French tubas, imagine how much harder it is to find folks to play this well on serpent & ophicleide.

As posted earlier in the thread, one large bell throat euphonium gets the job done, but I'm glad for anyone to work in the so-called classical music industry - playing whatever they're playing, as long as that industry manages to last.

Watching that video again has made me, again, want to at least get my hands on a serpent just to see how wildly weird it is to play.