Excerpt from www.the-wagner-tuba.com:
“The first time that I ever heard the Wagner Tuba was on the radio when I was driving home from high school. It was a pop tune called “Classical Gas” by Mason Williams that was arranged by Mike Post. The recordings by the Los Angeles Horn Club gave a name to the sound that I heard on “Classical Gas”. I would occasionally come across references or recordings that would include Wagner Tubas, but was never able to get my hands on one.”
“It was a long time before I was able to actually see and play a Wagner Tuba. When I found out that there was an affordable instrument available I discovered that a member of the Twin Cities Horn Club owned one of the Chinese built Wagner Tubas. He let me try his out, and shortly after that I bought one for myself.”
“After I had my own Wagner Tuba I started to look for recordings of the Wagner Tuba and for pieces written for the tuba. I came across a recording of Edel Rhapsody On YouTube. I loved the way that Stephen Caudel’s piece featured the sound of the Wagner Tuba. I ordered a copy of Edel Rhapsody with piano accompaniment. I liked it so much that I gave a copy of the recording to the SCVSO director and now it is on the SCVSO program for the October 20 concert. The Edel Rhapsody is fun to play and really features the sound of the Wagner Tuba.”
Denny mentions two important horn clubs which helped shape his interest in the Wagner tuba. Here are some links for those interested in reading further: Los Angeles Horn Club and Twin Cities Horn Club.