Concerts for Hamburg

Most people probably only know the tuba from brass bands or large symphony orchestras, where it’s responsible for the low bass notes. Fast and witty playing are not generally associated with the tuba. But English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote a genuine solo concerto for the biggest member of the brass family, where it finally has a chance to show its mettle.

The solo part – surprisingly virtuoso, but also quite gentle in places – is played here by Munich native Andreas Martin Hofmeir, who has a very special relationship with his instrument, on the one hand as a longstanding member of the power group LaBrassBanda, and on the other as an author and cabaret artist. »Kein Aufwand« (No Trouble) is the title of his book that contains pearls of wisdom like this one: »You don’t become a tuba player for noble reasons. You play the tuba because you haven’t got the ambition for a sophisticated instrument.«

In the second part of the concert, the NDR Radiophilharmonie from Hanover plays Sibelius’s First Symphony. In his works, the Finnish composer translates the barren expanses of his Scandinavian homeland and its subtle nuances of light into wonderful music.