The Cadets new uniforms are brilliant. I don’t share the view that they don’t work. That argument is a red herring. On the contrary, their performances have been, and I suspect will be breathtaking and magical again tonight. But I suggest it isn’t the kind of magic associated with what d&bc seems to be becoming. It’s requires a slightly different frame of mind. I have no stake in the proceedings, but I am passionate about championing artistry. Of course, the other superb programs this year have it too, but the Cadets program bares its soul.
To me, there is no program on the field this year that is more across-the-board fundamentally challenging (and thus educational), more relentless, more interesting, or dare I say, truly artistic - in the most idealistic sense of the word - than the Cadets program.
Crucially, their program is far less dependent on any familiar pre-existing narrative, imagery, easily recognizable melody (except for the haunting leitmotif), or complex props to garner and hold an audience’s attention. To pull this off takes artistic courage of the highest caliber from every person involved.
One could say that it is abstract, but in this context, I would argue, abstract is a pejorative term. Abstract infers vagueness, as if it’s about nothing. This program is not about nothing. Minimal, perhaps even primitive, yes.
In fact, in my particular reading, the Cadets program mythologizes dci d&bc. Very understandably, this kind of reading is one the show’s creators have balked at or avoided; but why not, at this point, allow it to stick and own it? What other program has mythologized the obsessive procedures of this activity so transparently, effectively, and with so much skill, audacity - and yes - fierce, unyielding emotion?
Myths are challenging to absorb. Most of us resist comprehending them. They’re not for the weak-hearted or simple-minded. They’re for mature adults. They require a degree of detachment and thought. They are not automatically ingratiating. They are not superficial. When they’re presented well, as this one is here, they induce awe. Frankly, awe is not strong enough. Ecstatic astonishment might be.
Its free-floating content seems mysterious, even tortured at times. For the performers there is no hiding in this kind of music-making, yet all the components - from the electronics to the wrongly-maligned guard - blend into the framework and enhance rather than draw attention to themselves. There are no gratuitous tricks, no smoke or mirrors, and almost no artifice: just fully engrossing, undisguised, highly refined, purposeful art-making. It’s a marvel to behold. My guess is the spirit of Wagner will be smiling on them tonight in Indy.
Adjudications and the competition aside, might this program be one people will return to over and over again in the future?
Indeed, perhaps the program’s reception might benefit from an unspoken subtitle: “The Myth of Drum Corps.”
