Sedici

[N.E. Brigand]

This is unfair. Gordon Goodwin wrote some of their music.

I hope more composers from outside of drum corps follow his lead! Last year, I heard Johan de Meij conduct his Symphony No. 1, "The Lord of the Rings" on the occasion of its twenty-fifth anniversary. Afterwards, I had a chance to ask him what he thought of the Cadets' 1999 performance which included his Symphony No. 2, "The Big Apple"--I knew he had been in attendance at Finals. I wouldn't say he grimaced, but his expression certainly changed. He explained that while he could appreciate the high performance level, he didn't like how his work had been put in service of a visual medium. I wonder, though, if he were to write something specifically for drum corps, and were involved like Goodwin has been, if he might be happier with the results.

In any case, DCI and the Devils should make it more widely known. For starters, someone should add a reference to the Blue Devils to Goodwin's Wikipedia page.

[mingusmonk]

I hope more composers from outside of drum corps follow his lead! Last year, I heard Johan de Meij conduct his Symphony No. 1, "The Lord of the Rings" on the occasion of its twenty-fifth anniversary. Afterwards, I had a chance to ask him what he thought of the Cadets' 1999 performance which included his Symphony No. 2, "The Big Apple"--I knew he had been in attendance at Finals. I wouldn't say he grimaced, but his expression certainly changed. He explained that while he could appreciate the high performance level, he didn't like how his work had been put in service of a visual medium. I wonder, though, if he were to write something specifically for drum corps, and were involved like Goodwin has been, if he might be happier with the results.

In any case, DCI and the Devils should make it more widely known. For starters, someone should add a reference to the Blue Devils to Goodwin's Wikipedia page.

He seems to appreciate it. But after I watched the G Goodwin interview portion I asked myself ... "Self, does he sound like a composer that would be glad to do this again?" Would love to hear an answer to that question from the composer rather than myself.

[c mor]

It's a well-made video, but anyone who has:

1. Seen the show at least once on the Fan Network;

2. Made note of their repertoire as listed, e.g., in mingusmonk's thread above; and

3. Been paying a reasonable amount of attention to the discussion on these forums...

already knows 95% of what the video tells you.

Here's everything I learned from the video:

A. The show's three movements are titled "Fellini's Religion", "Fellini's Circus", and "Fellini's Fantasy";

B. The figure who lurches down the catwalk followed by someone else with an umbrella is a "broken clown";

C. Individual member movements in the post-fanfare transition were in fact each separately choreographed (I figured as much, and so did you, but this confirms it); and

D. Gordon Goodwin found the collaborative process of creating music for drum corps to be different and interesting.

Besides that, the rest of the video is at the level of a middle school book report: following some opening blather from the narrator (e.g., "from its dramatic opening moments to its triumphant conclusion", which describes most successful drum corps shows), we hear comments by the members that are almost always merely description that anyone who's seen the show could articulate at least as well as they do. For instance: "Marking the end of the drum break, there's a very definitive quick second break, and then we cut to the front ensemble, and people are hustling around again. You see all these drill forms; there's a lot going on, a lot of stuff to see, a lot of excitement, and that basically sets us up for the next mood change where we form this large diagonal that pushes toward the corner." Most of the other comments are as blandly descriptive as that.

In my opinion, this video should make people think less not more highly of BD's show. Accordingly, since BD's show is very, very good, this video should be ignored. This is not terribly surprising. Artists' statements about their works frequently are less illuminating than the works themselves. (I will allow that we probably have no reason to expect anything more illuminating from other corps. Certainly the interviews used in DCI's cinema-casts are no better.)

However, if you have seen the video, you may be inclined to wonder about matters they don't address:

--What makes BD's opening fanfare better or worse than Madison's opening fanfare? I'm not saying it's not better (nor that they need to mention Madison); I'm saying that they give no indication of what makes theirs good; there is merely assertion that "it's a brilliant way to start the show". Are both BD and Madison conveying the same message through their fanfares (here described as "the show is here, we have arrived, this is the beginning")? Are we meant to think there's something innovative about BD's use of a fanfare? Or are they carrying on a grand drum corps tradition?

--Has any observer yet mentioned that the trumpet player in the early transition looks like he is being pulled away by a balloon? If not, BD is failing to convey that point?

--What is a broken clown? And what is special about juxtaposing a beautiful love theme with "this broken person, who might be lonely or sad"? For one thing, we don't know who that person is, so we don't know if he's lonely or sad. Does it matter if we don't know? For another, if presenting two discordant elements simultaneously is special, then why should BD be rewarded for what most corps also do regularly?

--Describing the end of a piece, a member says, "We continue on. Again just an instant mood shift". Isn't that the sort of thing that people are complaining about in Madison's show? Again, what makes BD's treatment of such a transition special?

--Back to "Fellini's Religion". How on earth is religion conveyed in BD's show? One of the most famous images in Fellini's films is the statue of Christ being transported by helicopter in La Dolce Vita. There's no reason that BD should include a reference to that image ... unless they're making a point of saying that one-third of their show is about Fellini's religion. Or do they mean that Fellini's real religion is cinema? Is that why they specifically mention the film-reel imagery at the beginning and end of the first movement? If that's the case, then the video should have been more clear about that, and it then must address the film-reel imagery later in their show.

Finally, even though it was just published four days ago, the video is already out of date: the end of their show has changed.

I'd say you're expecting too much.

The "Tour Reports" and "Inside BD 360s" are just to be glimpses of what is happening - to give all those that can't be on tour a view of what they are experiencing. I imagine many of those who are planning to audition follow the videos, as well as parents and alumni. Episodes generally run one week behind actual events. They are not ultra planned out. They will grab a member and say, "Hey, tell me about the show."

This video probably would have been better presented earlier in the season, as, you stated, much is old news. I took more from it the performers conveying their own understanding and motivations for their individual performances. I see them as excited about the show, that they really enjoy performing it. Remember, all corps members are at this point - not yet jaded by many years of real life. They are in the drum corps bubble, working on excellence in performing an artistic endeavor. For all the corps it is a ton of work, but tons of fun. Let them display their enthusiasm.

[mingusmonk]

I'd say you're expecting too much.

The "Tour Reports" and "Inside BD 360s" are just to be glimpses of what is happening - to give all those that can't be on tour a view of what they are experiencing. I imagine many of those who are planning to audition follow the videos, as well as parents and alumni. Episodes generally run one week behind actual events. They are not ultra planned out. They will grab a member and say, "Hey, tell me about the show."

This video probably would have been better presented earlier in the season, as, you stated, much is old news. I took more from it the performers conveying their own understanding and motivations for their individual performances. I see them as excited about the show, that they really enjoy performing it. Remember, all corps members are at this point - not yet jaded by many years of real life. They are in the drum corps bubble, working on excellence in performing an artistic endeavor. For all the corps it is a ton of work, but tons of fun. Let them display their enthusiasm.

He's not replying to the video as much as he's replying to the OP that uses the video for the foundation of a 16th title statement. See below.

Ding Ding!

I'm not going to far out on a limb to state my case.

You...MUST...click...HERE for a modern day libretto. <gasp!> If you've not seen it, you are warned that you, too, will be Borg.

[c mor]

He's not replying to the video as much as he's replying to the OP that uses the video for the foundation of a 16th title statement. See below.

Oh, okay.

[N.E. Brigand]

I'd say you're expecting too much.

Yes, I probably was expecting too much--probably because, as mingusmonk says, garfield's initial post suggested to me that the video would act as a special key unlocking the mysteries of BD's show; likewise the comment at youtube I mentioned earlier in this thread that said that only thanks to the video did the commenter understand what BD's show was about. Since I felt I already had a decent sense of what the show was about, I was hoping for much greater elucidation than I got.

I seem to have a tendency in that regard. Your amusingly deflationary remark reminds me of a response to my critique of the "Television: U.S. Coverage" entry in the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, which I found similarly unimpressive: "Anyone with a knowledge of American television would say, 'And what exactly did you expect? The Tom Shippey Hour, Tuesdays at 8 (7 Central)?'"