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The tyranny and folly of abstraction - an open letter to the Cadets de


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I look through a business lense; I'm hardly a programming expert. But what I heard from most of this post is:

"Shostakovich is GREAT!

I LOVE Shostakovich!

When I listen to Shos, I hear this: Blah, blah, blah

Do it that way, and I'm happy."

One thing I've learned about drum corps is that, most times, arrangers get the source material right and it's usually wise for me to reserve judgement until I see the product on the field.

Another thing I've learned is that the production may not be the same as my expectations. Usually, with time, that ends up being a good thing.

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What I got out of your post:

"Blah blah blah Im in love with REAL drum corps blah blah blah WGI is ruining drum corps blah blah blah please make shows like you did in the 80s Blah blah blah."

I'm having trouble seeing where the OP said anything about 1980s drum corps. As for his being at risk of falling behind the times, how can one get more current than this that he wrote: "Right now, people in Ukraine, the Baltic States, and elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, are protesting against and fighting the very real forces that threaten their precarious and extremely hard-won freedom." Is WGI design somehow more timely than current world events?

(This is not to say that his concept would work, just that being stuck in the past doesn't seem to be one of its flaws.)

Edited by N.E. Brigand
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Maybe the reason they called it "X" is because it specifically features Shostakovich 10??? It's silly to just assume that they're going to abstractly elaborate on the idea of the superficial number 10. Why would it be unusual to name it "X" to simply represent the symphony rather than a different theme?

Like when Crown performed "A Second Chance" and featured famous works that are listed second in their respective catalogues. It's not an attempt to convey or represent something abstract. It's merely an abstract title that opens up the opportunity to exhibit a set of musical selections that otherwise have little to no connection if it were not for the the title. In other words, it's called a variety show.

Edited by theyremovingit
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I'm having trouble seeing where the OP said anything about 1980s drum corps. As for his being at risk of falling behind the times, how can one get more current than this that he wrote: "Right now, people in Ukraine, the Baltic States, and elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, are protesting against and fighting the very real forces that threaten their precarious and extremely hard-won freedom." Is WGI design somehow more timely than current world events?

(This is not to say that his concept would work, just that being stuck in the past doesn't seem to be one of its flaws.)

Re-read. He cites DCI '80 directly.

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I remember Cadets when no one knew them as The Cadets, they were simply Garfield, or Gaaaaaahfield as those of us in the Boston area called them, and while they were loved, it was not a guarantee they'd be finalists. I also saw them rise to national prominence. While I've enjoyed some shows more than others, I have found they either follow their musical selections literally (think 2010, 2012, 2014). Some years Cadets do not follow the story or themes behind musical choices literally (2013), but it can work. I trust that whatever Cadets do with the music, it will work. People may or may not like it, but as a show it will work.

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Re-read. He cites DCI '80 directly.

No he doesn't. He says he's been a fan of DCI since the early 1980s, and that Cadets' show description (so far as it exists now, anyway) is the most abstract he's seen in all that time.

He may be right, he may be wrong, but he's not making a comparison of Cadets 2015 theme to anything in the 1980s. He doesn't describe 1980s shows at all.

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I love the OP's enthusiasm, but if I have to watch one more abstract show about totalitarianism I'm going to hurl.

BTW, I have grown sick and tired of the narration bashing when we were lucky to witness Jordan Keonig's fabulous performance last year. He was a rare treat, and the Cadets got narration right last season. You say you didn't like the narration? That's fine. One is entitled to his/her opinion. I just ask that narration haters respect the opinion of those that did enjoy 2014 Cadets.

Looking forward to this season. Number eleven on the way!

Edited by wallace
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I love the OP's enthusiasm, but if I have to watch one more abstract show about totalitarianism I'm going to hurl.

BTW, I have grown sick and tired of the narration bashing when we were lucky to witness Jordan Keonig's fabulous performance last year. He was a rare treat, and the Cadets got narration right last season. You say you didn't like the narration? That's fine. One is entitled to his/her opinion. I just ask that narration haters respect the opinion of those that did enjoy 2014 Cadets.

Looking forward to this season. Number eleven on the way!

If you go to a drum corps show to enjoy narration, do you go to a lecture to enjoy ballet? Enough with the yap-yap-yap, just PLAY!

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I'm having trouble seeing where the OP said anything about 1980s drum corps. As for his being at risk of falling behind the times, how can one get more current than this that he wrote: "Right now, people in Ukraine, the Baltic States, and elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, are protesting against and fighting the very real forces that threaten their precarious and extremely hard-won freedom." Is WGI design somehow more timely than current world events?

(This is not to say that his concept would work, just that being stuck in the past doesn't seem to be one of its flaws.)

1. He's clearly unhappy with the current state of drum corps so I just used the 80s as an example. Feel free to insert his favorite era into my post instead of the 80s.

2. I'm not sure how stating a fact about some current event has anything to do with falling behind the times in terms of evolving show design. False equivalence much? I think you misinterpreted my message on the "behind the times" comment.

3. I did not say anything about WGI other than the fact that he seems to be unfairly blaming WGI for the evolution of modern DCI which he happens to hate win a burning passion.

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