Posted by Rick Denney on September 06, 2001 at 10:41:28:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Seating Question posted by Carl on September 06, 2001 at 01:43:43:
Say, Carl, is the coffee a bit strong in Holland these days?
Steve, of course, makes the important point: We may be forced to experiment for practical reasons, but the only proper experimentation is that which leads us to the same musical result achieved with the proper instruments. That doesn't necessarily mean the same sound, because the ears in the audience aren't the same. But it does mean knowing the rules before breaking them.
But nowhere in what Steve says is there room for a 6/4 contrabass and a gigantic F tuba, unless the players posses extraordinary powers of manipulation to achieve the desired result, or unless the conductor wants the tubas to bury the bassoons and turn the Dies Irae into a blast-fest. Because despite Berlioz's Gallic passion (elegantly overplayed by Carl), he isn't here to create despair and death for the tuba player. But the conductor is.
Rick "who doesn't always agree with his boss but does obey him, at least as far as he knows" Denney