MotoSurfBass Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Not the anniversary show I was expecting, but just as exciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Interesting. And I was just listening this afternoon to a broadcast of Borodin's posthumous opera Prince Igor, which Rimsky-Korsakov was working to complete when he got the idea for Scheherazade. (There's some good music in that opera; Academy played some of it four years ago.) By the standard I proposed lately, according to which corps should avoid performing music that had been used in a first-place show for twelve years, second-place show for eleven years, etc., this choice falls right on the cusp. It does seem a bit too soon. And they are setting expectations pretty high! Their 2004 performance was magical, and it had what I think is the best soft ending in drum corps history (although when I polled DCP on this subject last summer, it ranked seventh, with Cadets' 1987 "Appalachian Spring" the top choice.) That said, Scheherazade has at least been far less ubiquitous in DCI over the past decade than, say Appalachian Spring or West Side Story. Furthermore, SCV worked very hard last year (as their arranger specifically acknowledged during the Prelims cinema screening) to present a Les Mis that was both exciting and fresh, trusting the audience would follow them. Given that the original piece runs to more than 40 minutes, it ought to be possible for SCV to find an entirely different focus than they did last time. (Or I suppose they could mix it up with excerpts from the Sheherazades of Ravel or Szymanowski.) Finally, I was very amused to come across this post from last year, which argued (in mid-June) in that SCV would finish 2013 in sixth place, adding "I can't see Les Mis being the type of show that wins a medal, or even fan favorite". As we know, SCV did not medal, but they did get the highest fourth-place score ever. And if Crown was, probably, the fans' favorite, SCV seems likely to have been a close second in that regard for many people. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 (edited) Interesting. And I was just listening this afternoon to a broadcast of Borodin's posthumous opera Prince Igor, which Rimsky-Korsakov was working to complete when he got the idea for Scheherazade. (There's some good music in that opera; Academy played some of it four years ago.) By the standard I proposed lately, according to which corps should avoid performing music that had been used in a first-place show for twelve years, second-place show for eleven years, etc., this choice falls right on the cusp. It does seem a bit too soon. And they are setting expectations pretty high! Their 2004 performance was magical, and it had what I think is the best soft ending in drum corps history (although when I polled DCP on this subject last summer, it ranked seventh, with Cadets' 1987 "Appalachian Spring" the top choice.) That said, Scheherazade has at least been far less ubiquitous in DCI over the past decade than, say Appalachian Spring or West Side Story. Furthermore, SCV worked very hard last year (as their arranger specifically acknowledged during the Prelims cinema screening) to present a Les Mis that was both exciting and fresh, trusting the audience would follow them. Given that the original piece runs to more than 40 minutes, it ought to be possible for SCV to find an entirely different focus than they did last time. (Or I suppose they could mix it up with excerpts from the Sheherazades of Ravel or Szymanowski.) Finally, I was very amused to come across this post from last year, which argued (in mid-June) in that SCV would finish 2013 in sixth place, adding "I can't see Les Mis being the type of show that wins a medal, or even fan favorite". As we know, SCV did not medal, but they did get the highest fourth-place score ever. And if Crown was, probably, the fans' favorite, SCV seems likely to have been a close second in that regard for many people. Scheherazade was pretty ubiquitous in marching band circles after SCV did this the last time, but that's because SCV rocked it and made it popular and it was great source music. Enough time has passed for SCV to perform the music of Scheherazade again. I believe that 10 years is long enough; and it's an appropriate "anniversary year". Their 4th place score last year was higher than the third place score of 2004, so I don't think they need to worry about living up to the old version. I think they'll be in the ballpark. I believe that it has the potential to be as good or better than last time. Frankly, I'm excited about how this will be arranged compared to last time. This is a big push from the staff and administration to move up into the elite corps again. I'm sure that everyone in the SCV organization is pushing hard this year for sure. Once they get completely back, I don't see them falling out for a very VERY long time again and it's about time SCV gets back on top. I'm not a huge fan of what I have heard of Ravel's Scheherazade, so I hope they stick with one composer. Edited March 2, 2014 by jjeffeory 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeutralNovice Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Yet another dream show for me by SCV! Missed out on POTO and 2004 live so now all they have to do is POTO and that part of my bucket list will be complete! I wonder if they are going to design the corps proper uniforms around the Scheherezade theme like they did with Les MIz last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Yet another dream show for me by SCV! Missed out on POTO and 2004 live so now all they have to do is POTO and that part of my bucket list will be complete! I wonder if they are going to design the corps proper uniforms around the Scheherezade theme like they did with Les MIz last year. What did you have in mind? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeutralNovice Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 What did you have in mind? LOL, well... why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 (edited) What did you have in mind? I'd say these unis fit the older music/ theme quite well, and very current and eclectic at the same time. ( haha.. I know, you're kidding of course ) On a more serious note, as some Music Majors on here no doubt are aware, the composer Nikolai Rimski- Korsakov was a former Russian Naval officer of Aristocratic and Nationalist breeding that was a friend to Imperial Russia and Russian Expansionism. SCV choice of this composer's 1880 music seems fitting and topical based upon current events re. Russian expansionism into the sovereign states of Ukraine, Crimea. I'm looking forward to SCV's recreation of their 2004 theme and a comparison of its changes between 2004 and this year's rendition. Their 2004 show was a bit hit with audiences in 2004, and Rimsky- Korsakov's music "Scheherazade" is wonderfully uplifting and filled with grandeur. Edited March 2, 2014 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 (edited) I just hope the guard jingles again :-) Edited March 2, 2014 by corpsband 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msumello Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 It looks like I might be the only one who isn't as excited as most fans......I'm sure it'll be awesome but I would have liked them to do something original and out there. However it seems they do extremely well when using material that is closer to classical music than newer music ...Still, can't wait to see them especially since my cousin in a wheelchair and myself have tickets to the finals in the best seats in the stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 (edited) It looks like I might be the only one who isn't as excited as most fans... You aren't the only one. All that seasoned instructional talent but a show from the past. Is it the issue with securing rights that is making everyone hesitant to move beyond what has already been done? Edited March 2, 2014 by LincolnV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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