Posted by Joe Sellmansberger on June 10, 1999 at 20:09:49:
In Reply to: orchestral recordings posted by John on June 10, 1999 at 15:27:40:
Please listen to Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet - Suites 1 and 2. Many people speak of his 5th Symphony, and it was very nice that he included the tuba there to play along with the string basses, but the beautiful lines that occasionally occur in Romeo and Juliet are true solos, and, in my opinion represent the epitome of orchestral solo tuba composition.
So many other (yes, great) composers have used the tuba in the orchestra as an "appliance", in my opinion. (ala: bass drum, timpani, contrabassoon, bass trombone [whoops!] etc.)
I wonder (?) if there might be an old recording of John Fletcher playing those beautiful lines with the London Symphony Orchestra. If anyone would have communicated those phrases of Prokofiev in the pinnacle manner, it would have been him.