Kevin Doherty Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 I checked out the last version on page 5 of this subject and apparently it was not from this year's SB because there were Philadelphia Eagles in the video. However it was a superb performance by the Acadamies Choir. A few observations, though. Why do many performers pace the Anthem at a slow tempo so that it becomes a funeral dirge? This is a celebratory piece of music not a piece of mourning during a funeral. In my younger days I witnessed the Marine Corps, Army, and Navy national level concert bands perform the anthem and all were superb, but the Army version had some very interesting chording that I still find to be my favorite version. A few years ago a Cadets ensemble (maybe 12 horns) opened a competitiom with the Anthem and it sounded to me like the Army version. It was brilliant and I wonder if it was the Army arrangement or the horn writer's arrangement? (Bocook perhaps). I thought the last few Olympics used excellent versions of the Anthem. I wonder who performed them (recorded versions, of course) My guess is the Marine Band. Does anyone know? Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Here you go: Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Doherty Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thanks folks, but it was not from this year's SB. It was from several years ago when the Iggles played the Pats. I will find out the year with a little more research, but my comment has not been responded to at all. I'm not being grouchy, but inquisitive. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Doherty Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 It's from 2005. Still great performance. K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I can't help you with previous ones, but it looks like the London Philharmonic made the recordings for 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15065155 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8791206/London-2012-Olympics-Libyan-national-anthem-leaves-London-Philharmonic-Orchestra-with-unfinished-business.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rifuarian Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 (edited) I can't help you with previous ones, but it looks like the London Philharmonic made the recordings for 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15065155 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8791206/London-2012-Olympics-Libyan-national-anthem-leaves-London-Philharmonic-Orchestra-with-unfinished-business.html The anthems in 2008 were recorded by the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, 2004 by the Orchestra of Slovakian National Radio. Don't know about Olympics earlier than that. Edited February 12, 2012 by Rifuarian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Doherty Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thanks friends. Still want to know about the various arrangements and recordings of the past. BTW I heard Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic perform the Anthem. It was probably the worst I ever heard. It was the Stravinsky arrangement and he was in the audience. The piece is meant for brass and when strings take the lead, it removes all the impact from the music. This is not to say that there are other anthems that benefit from a full orchestral approach especially if they were written that way. But English Pub songs don't work well with strings. Pennywhistles - no. Still want to know about the various military band arrangements. It has been said that ignorance is bliss, but I think it is closer to misery. K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickhaltsforlife Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I believe it is always an orchestra in whatever country the olympics are in that records all of the anthems for the various countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Doherty Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 There are orchestral and band versions of the various anthems. That's a big load to handle, but if they can do it, they deserve great credit. However I don't know how a relatively small orchestral brass section expands into a full blown wind band. Once again, I applaud any organization that can carry this out. Where do the arrangements come from? But getting back to the root questions, which US Military bands are playing which arrangements and who arranged them? We already have one answer that I don't dispute - Marines- Sousa. Quiz - When did the SSB become the National Anthem? I know the answer, but it would be fun to see the responses and not for any smart guy purpose, but out of curiosity. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rifuarian Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 There are orchestral and band versions of the various anthems. That's a big load to handle, but if they can do it, they deserve great credit. However I don't know how a relatively small orchestral brass section expands into a full blown wind band. Once again, I applaud any organization that can carry this out. Where do the arrangements come from? But getting back to the root questions, which US Military bands are playing which arrangements and who arranged them? We already have one answer that I don't dispute - Marines- Sousa. Quiz - When did the SSB become the National Anthem? I know the answer, but it would be fun to see the responses and not for any smart guy purpose, but out of curiosity. Kevin As far as I know unique arrangements are created for each Olympics. I'm not sure if there's a rule about this, or if it's just a tradition. Here's an article about the arranging of anthems for the 2012 Olympics. And here's an interesting article about the arrangements for the Beijing Olympics . . . seems the composer who arranged for the Athens Olympics thinks the Beijing Symphonic used his arrangements! For instrumental versions I do prefer an upbeat, triumphal, brass-heavy arrangements . . . but if it's sung I feel a slower, more thoughtful pace is appropriate. Read over the first stanza. It's basically a question: Is the flag still there? We don't find that it's still flying until the second stanza. Which, if you think about it, makes it kind of curious that we stop with the first stanza. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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