Some years ago I have a memory of hearing this piece and in particular the Ride to the Abyss which struck me as an extraordinary piece of invention not least because my memory, quite possibly mistaken, is that the low brass blasts that Berlioz scores were played very loudly by something that had no easily identified pitch making them far more intimidating than the pitched deep brass I hear in current performances. Does anyone know if the score allows for the sound I think I heard and what might have made it?
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Are you thinking of the stopped notes on the horns or the trombone pedal notes? They aren't meant to sound as indefinite pitch, but they are deliberately discordant with the harmony and in some performances are made to sound deliberately crude.
It's a while since I heard the work. There is one recording of this passage which is of historical interest. It's the only surviving passage from a stereo tape made at the April 1954 sessions for the Charles Munch recording. The complete recording was issued in mono. -
That's probably it, I think the relatively loud effect is tremendous when they are made to sound completely discordant.Comment
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