I believe that playing music exclusively from the past largely discredits new composers, and prohibits the growth of classical music as a genre.  While playing the music of the greats offers a rich introduction and understanding of the possibilities of music, the repeated performance of a narrow selection of repertoire becomes an obstacle for individual interpretation.  As for what I might be limited to playing were the compositions of the greats erased from existence, my options as a tuba player would be somewhat limited.  I am only familiar with two contemporary composers of tuba music, Arthur Frackenpohl (the Frackenpohl Tuba Concertino, https://youtu.be/nt0afPk06Ws) and Anthony Plog (Plog Tuba Sonata, https://youtu.be/DPtpQAkiJrU) , and I am not particularly fond of their composition styles.  My taste in music, especially tuba music, has been largely molded by the monumental works I’ve had the pleasure of hearing.  That in combination with the more obscure niche that is contemporary tuba solo repertoire would place me in a difficult position as a performer.  While I do enjoy playing along with more popular and “in” music like Busty and the Bass’s “Baggy Eyed Dopeman”  (https://youtu.be/VJf00NkQS1s) and following bass lines in songs like Tame Impala’s “The Less I Know The Better” (https://youtu.be/2SUwOgmvzK4), I don’t feel that material of that nature is conducive to my growth as a tuba player.  As for Nietzsche’s quote, I interpret it to mean that in recalling and interpreting the past, one is imparting the present upon it. In recalling the past, one is going to latch onto what they like more so than what is there. In interpreting a piece of the past, little of the emotional expression is preserved, and in many cases only the framework remains