The conductor is definitely slowing the piece down, because my God, the original tempo is difficult even for the most elite orchestras. In regards to the piece, it's great to have that low-end support from the Tuba (and the Gran Cassa, Contra Bassoon, and others?). Williams did a masterful job writing this triumphant theme. His Nightly News Theme and Sunday Football Themes are the hidden gems of a series of compositions he was contracted to write for NBC.
