hughesmr Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 It also calls in to question the sincerity of Hop's argument about the narration being essential to telling the story that they want to tell, since they have so substantively altered the story without changing the show itself that it would seem now that they can plug in whatever dialog they want and the music will effectively support it ... Next week it could be an episode of "Family Guy." I've been saying this for years about "themes" vs actual show content. By and large, themes could be randomly assigned to corps show designs and no one would know any different. That's why I laughed so many times when reading corps show "descriptions" in programs for several years .... it mostly is just pompous artsy-fartsy poo-poo written by some "full of myself" designer, when what was happening on the field in no way elicited what the "designer" intended.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 (edited) Listen to the original piece of music - the woodblock is in it .... just google key words: John Adams short ride fast machine One of my favorite pieces in the world, and I was thrilled by how well Cadets adapted it to the field in 91. The whole show rocked, actually. The throw down during Prelude, Fugue and Riffs was just .... I just got goosebumps recalling it and I haven't listened to it or watched it in years! (time to go to Fan Network.....) edited to add: I'm tired of talking about talking, so I'm not talking about it, but reading what ya'll are talking about is amusing. Edited July 27, 2008 by TerriTroop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughesmr Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Listen to the original piece of music - the woodblock is in it .... just google key words: John Adams short ride fast machineRight ...and it's HARDLY a "melody".... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIHasBeen Posted July 27, 2008 Author Share Posted July 27, 2008 (edited) Listen to the original piece of music - the woodblock is in it .... just google key words: John Adams short ride fast machine Yes, and at one show that year a judge (one of these "experts" in music education that DCI is always touting) told the Cadets they had to get rid of the woodblock ... He'd obviously not been familiar with one of the most famous minimalist composers of our time, nor with the music. Bottom line is that the piece just didn't go over on a drum corps field. A few years later, the New York Philharmonic did "Short Ride on a Fast Machine" as part of a concert televised with PBS. Kurt Mazur was interviewed during the course of the program and commented on how he found doing the piece difficult, as audiences generally didn't like it and the orchestra didn't enjoy playing it. Edited July 27, 2008 by DCIHasBeen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Yes, and at one show that year a judge (one of these "experts" in music education that DCI is always touting) told the Cadets they had to get rid of the woodblock ... He'd obviously not been familiar with one of the most famous minimalist composers of our time, nor with the music.Bottom line is that the piece just didn't go over on a drum corps field. A few years later, the New York Philharmonic did "Short Ride on a Fast Machine" as part of a concert televised with PBS. Kurt Mazur was interviewed during the course of the program and commented on how he found doing the piece difficult, as audiences generally didn't like it and the orchestra didn't enjoy playing it. Wow, sounds like Mazur needs to work on selling ideas to his orchestra and the audience. There are some amazing harmonic and melodic moments that can be completely stunning if they are set up right. Oh well. What a shame he couldn't get his performers to buy into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlvalet Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 (edited) Listen to the original piece of music - the woodblock is in it .... just google key words: John Adams short ride fast machine I know it's in it. Perhaps I should have phrased it "Choosing to perform a piece where the woodblock is the melody." And regardless, I think my point still stands. Edited July 27, 2008 by atlvalet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookofJ Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 The tragedy of all this is that all the talk is about GH and not about all the wonderful youth musicians that make up the Cadets. It's sad that as soon as Sara Jones and Co. exit the field they are immediately irrelevant to the rest of the competition. And that should NEVER be with such a gold mine of talent. Really, really sad........................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlvalet Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 (edited) I've been saying this for years about "themes" vs actual show content. By and large, themes could be randomly assigned to corps show designs and no one would know any different. That's why I laughed so many times when reading corps show "descriptions" in programs for several years .... it mostly is just pompous artsy-fartsy poo-poo written by some "full of myself" designer, when what was happening on the field in no way elicited what the "designer" intended.... In advertising (the field I'm presently in), creatives come up with work, and each piece of work has a "concept." Now just because something has a concept doesn't mean it's good. In fact, 90% of my (and others) ideas end up in the trash...where they belong. Perhaps this is where some of the hang-ups are happening with show design...people come up with "concepts" minus the ability to edit (hey an idea hit me, so that must mean we should do it). Without editing, you end up with "concepts" that aren't necessarily good or interesting (this last is a general comment, and not directed specifically at the Cadets). Sure, you have an idea on the field, but it's one nobody cares about. Edited July 27, 2008 by atlvalet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomCrown Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Maybe the character flaw they're trying to create is the fact that Sarah Jones has had a seemingly large amount of boyfriends, thus failing at relationships? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 I don't know. I miss the cancer. It was so...perfect for the next iteration of a Cadets show. And I don't understand the living room scene at all. Can he have prostate cancer maybe? And can the child who shows up at the end be stricken with melanoma or something? And perhaps, the drill could attempt to show cancer multiplying or show tumors or whatnot. This show is now a big tank asking to be 7th place at best. Disjointed pile of poo now. I'm interested as to whether George would ever again consider the idea of performing a show sans narration. I also am interested in seeing if 2008 marks the retirement year for George Hopkins. Or perhaps...next year, the Cadets will give us their post nuclear diaster, apocolyptic portrayal set to jazz. Looking forward to that!!! Woo Hoo and pass the popcorn. A train wreck without the train. 7th place...here we come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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