Old shows made new

[InspaDave]

Music programs I'd love to hear pretty much transcribed note for note for a Bb ensemble, and with a new visual program:

BD 91, 93

Star 90, 91

Those shows would also need some tweaking in the battery, but yeah. I would love to see those shows updated.

[7567BC]

For the most part, I'm in strong agreement with Perc2100.

I'm not sure what the motive is behind the issue, but if on some responder's part that doing the same arrangement with B-Flat horns is going to, per se, make the performance better, I could not disagree more. Intonation may have been more difficult to manage with Gs, but the big Corps managed just fine. I don't think anyone is going to do Star 89-92 better than they did it. Their musicianship and arrangements and drill was superb.

For a direct example, Cadets doing Rocky Point in B-Flat is not one bit better than in G. As was mentioned earlier, there are Corps performing old classics post-competion.

If the motive is to improve position at Finals from last time the show was used at finals, for example, Cavies Rutter stuff from the 80s or PR Winter Palace, I have less of a problem provided the arrangements are improved, which usually doesn't happen. As Perc2100 astutely stated, it hasn't worked in the past, why would it work now? (If I were to make one exception it would be Winter Palace. The arrangement was fine, but the Contras were disastrously non-existent, which was a music execution design failure on the part of the staff. Maybe they should try it again).

I have the least problem with anyone picking up repertoire of defunct Corps, but to echo Perc2100, BD did a later version of the Bridgmen's Harlem Nocturne and BD's arrangement and performance was not one bit better.

I would have the least problem with modernized arrangements of pieces from the 60-72. I can think of some pieces by the Cadets, Boston, Blessed Sacrament, and the Cavies that would sound great in modernized versions. However, with so many theme and integrated shows today as opposed to the the repertoires of 5-6 unrelated pieces from 60 - 72 and before, it would very difficult to make this work. One example that might is the Cadets played the French National Defile off the line in 62-63. If they were to do a French theme, an updated arrangement might work.

With no disrespect intended, most of us have no power to make decisions for the Corps on what to play, and if they decide on a re - do. etc. or anything from JJ's list or anyone else's , have at it, but I strongly disagree with anyone playing any Tim Rice pieces. His music is vapid, lowest common denominator trash, widely denigrated by the music community. That SCV won the championship with his crap which consisted of playing scales and one melody was a travesty and an insult to PRs fine effort. Likewise the Cadet's Les Mis was the worst program they played between 1980 and 2011. The music was sappy and corny.

I know others are entitled to different opinions, but that is my story and I'm sticking to it.

Kevin Doherty

WTF are you talking about? All this blah blah. All that was asked was what older music, music played in the passed that has not been played in a while, would you like to hear done with current MM's and current instruments due to the improvements in the quality of each. Nothing more involved than that. Jeesh let's not overthink this. Some replies are mentioning entire show re-dos. Not what was meant. This was just a light fun question.