Mikael Rasmusson wrote:

>I've just listened to the Boehm recording, and it is good, but the
>orchestra sounds a bit thick and monotonous at times.  I suspect we
>have to blame Sussmayer for that.  Ad why not add some woodwind or brass
>(trombones) occasionally? The violins are imitating the vocal line too
>much.

I'm very surprised at all the enthusiasm for Bohm, some of it from people
I've associated with HIP performances.  It's an old fashioned, large scale,
massive, thick performance.  I thought this kind of thing was out of favor
these days.  That said, I love the Bohm, but I figured that was just me
being an incorrigible atavist.

Admittedly, there aren't many woodwinds in the score: just basset
horns and bassoons.  There is a lot of trombone writing, however.  Most
conductors I've played under have complained about there being too much,
though most used them (only one ever used us in the big fugue, however--was
that fun).  Then again, I remember Roger Wagner saying before we played
a note that he only used half the written trombone parts.  Anyway, the
recorded sound of that Bohm recording is so thick that you don't always
hear the trombone parts, many of which also support vocal lines.

>I'm gonna look for the Levin completion.

Far be it from me to disdain this one, but there are too many times that
it sounds like a bubbly Broadway musical to em.  But I'm sure this is a
minority opinion.  (I'm not that convinced by the "completion" either.)

>Finally, about musical content: the Tuba mirum

And thus have you earned wrath of a million trombone players.

Roger Hecht