jplattSCV Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Absolutely guaranteed true story:Sometime in the late 1980s (either just before or just after I aged out, I can't remember), I was chatting with Gail Royer at SCV's practice field (now the Mercado Center; the Starbucks is supposedly where the 50 used to be), and I said I thought Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra would be perfect for Vanguard. He told me I was out of my mind. off topic: It feels wierd every time I travel to Santa Clara for work and drive past Mission College and see the Mercado Center instead of our old practive field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplattSCV Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 A daft question I know, but can someone explain why SCV's choice of music seems to generate such a polarised debate each year? I don't recall any other corps getting as much airtime! I agree. It is a bit odd. I think its because so many people have Vanguard as their #1 corps or at least as #2. There are haters for all the others corps. I really don't hear much negativity toward Santa Clara. There are a bunch of us that just want greatness for them really badly. Even on this thread, the negative comments are not offensive at all. There some "I wish" statements, but everybody has those thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I agree. It is a bit odd. I think its because so many people have Vanguard as their #1 corps or at least as #2. There are haters for all the others corps. I really don't hear much negativity toward Santa Clara. There are a bunch of us that just want greatness for them really badly. Even on this thread, the negative comments are not offensive at all. There some "I wish" statements, but everybody has those thoughts. I think it has more to do with the fact that they've announced their show earlier than most corps the past few years. There's not much current information to argue about (for pete's sake, there's a 16 page thread debating the merits of Madison Scouts wearing spats), so when a Top 6 corps announces their show for the upcoming season, it's something for people to talk about. I'm sure this would be the same with any of the other Top 6 corps announcing their show in November. Also, this is the second year that SCV has announced source music that happens to have been played by some memorable great shows. I don't remember their 07 show or their 06 shows getting so much debate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mello Dude Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Meh. For the second year in a row Vanguard's picked a show I've heard many times before. Some of my very favorite shows in all drum corps came when they used Bartok's piano concertos or string quartets. There is plenty of material left in those works, If they're going to play Bartok I'd much prefer to hear them tackle something original to the activity. Amen. Apparently some people haven't had a chance to play Bartok, cause it's like a staple going through college. Good luck to the arranger on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcsnare93 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Originality != playing new music. That's such a narrow a view of the definition, it's ridiculous. But, if you do want to look at it that way, then not many corps have been original in the last decade. It's completely possible to play familiar music, but yet retain originality (e.g. presenting a fresh 'spin' on it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellofan Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I surely hope this upcoming year's show is more exciting than this last season's show. That show did not have me as excited as I wanted to be when I saw them at finals. Please Vanguard, make me want to scream for you again!! It was interesting to watch the crowd on Finals night. The overall lack of emotional response to the shows was amazing. Vanguard brought the crowd to its feet with genuine applause during the company front. Looking around during the top 4 shows, I noticed that the crowd, as a whole, was not as emotionally into the performances as much as Vanguard's. Obviously, the top four shows didn't keep my attention either if I spent the time watching the members of the audience. Like a previous poster, I saw Vanguard in the mid 70's too for the first time. Traditional drum corps always keeps my attention more than most of the current ADHD/gimmick type shows. Vanguard utilized the entire field and looked large without using chairs or tables to create an allusion of largeness. I also admit that I enjoy show music that is familiar to me. One of the reason that the Madison '75 show had been my all-time favorite drum corps show is that the music was familar to me from the first time that I saw it. When the music and drill combines to create that goosebump feeling, I leave the show smiling and humming the music. Now I have two shows that I classify as my favorite--Vanguard '09 and Madison '75. Here's hoping that Vanguard '10 is added to that list in a year. Madison is playing some of the music from '75 again in the coming season, so it truly could be another step towards traditional drum corps this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolmuze Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Meh. For the second year in a row Vanguard's picked a show I've heard many times before. Some of my very favorite shows in all drum corps came when they used Bartok's piano concertos or string quartets. There is plenty of material left in those works, If they're going to play Bartok I'd much prefer to hear them tackle something original to the activity. This is the oldest trick in the book. Playing great music that someone has already done. Just Look at the LA Phil and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It just seems to be a cheap plea for musical respect. I like it better when the shows are about something. That way I can follow along. Plus, I like to laugh. When's the last time that Bartok made someone laugh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeutralNovice Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 This is the oldest trick in the book. Playing great music that someone has already done. Just Look at the LA Phil and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It just seems to be a cheap plea for musical respect. I like it better when the shows are about something. That way I can follow along. Plus, I like to laugh. When's the last time that Bartok made someone laugh? Probably when someone frakked a note. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmooney7 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Sounds like a classic drum corps show! I'll be looking forward to this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octavarium Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Probably when someone frakked a note. if anything, that added to the piece. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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