meanwhile settled


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Posted by Richard on May 04, 2001 at 18:50:00:

The original thread regarding the identity of the extra tuba player in the Leinsdorf/BSO Lohengrin is way down the page now. One rather impertinent anonymous respondent suggested I call Chester and ask him. If I knew him well enough, I'd have done that by now. But I don't and I respect his privacy too much to bother him with a frivolous phone call. However, I did some work with Doug Yeo in New York when he was starting out. And as you know, he has an active website, welcomes correspondence, and enjoys sharing information.

Here's the relevant stuff:>

>I submitted a question to TubeNet regarding the Leinsdorf/BSO recording of Lohengrin. >The liner note photo clearly shows another tuba player next to Vinal Smith, and it sounds >the way Chester sounded at that time on his Alex, but the recordings were made in August >1965, about six weeks before the auditions took place. My question was who was the extra >player? Respondents are certain that it was Chester despite the dates which make his >participation unlikely. Though I grant you anything is possible.


But not having Chester leave the army before discharged! No, it is
not him. It is a player named Dante DiNuncio who played second tuba
when required in the Boston Symphony when required for a number of
years before Chester Schmitz arrived in 1966. When Leinsdorf arrived
as music director, it was no secret he was not pleased with the way
Kilton Vinal Smith played the tuba - especially since Smith played
everything on a Kruspe F tuba and never played bass tuba. Leinsdorf
hired DiNuncio to double the low tuba parts in Lohengrin (there are
not two tuba parts in the opera). The rest of the low brass section
in the Lohengrin recording, by the way, is William Gibson
(principal), William Moyer (2nd) and Kauko Kahila (bass).

Chester arrived in 1966 and his first recording was Mahler 3,
Leinsdorf conducting. After Chester's arrival, DiNuncio's
involvement with the BSO tapered off and a long string of excellent
2nd tuba players began to work with the BSO including Ellis Wean,
Gary Ofenloch and others.

So, that's the rest of the story.

All the best,

-Doug Yeo


All that having been said it would seem that Smith and DiNuncio were a potent combination, and this remains a recording to be treasured by all brass players, tuba and otherwise.

-Richard


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