Jump to content

Music Corps Should Reboot


Recommended Posts

8 minutes ago, tesmusic said:

It's also a chart that's at a pretty awkward tempo to march. It's in cut-time, and usually performed at a tempo that if they marched to the half-note, would seem slow after about 30 seconds, and trying to march to the quarter note would be faster than possible for that type of duration.

It is always fun when they pull it out from time to time though in concerts, so if you get a chance to check that out, you'll dig it.

I'd love to hear the modern corps play the entire '83 book.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On March 8, 2017 at 11:58 AM, kdaddy said:

 

Blue Stars use of Wagner last season had me longing for a restaging of some of the tunes from 1997 Regiment, especially Magic Fire Music.

 

 

I would not mind a redo of the Ring by Phantom. In my opinion it was one of the most ambitious musical books of all time, but many found it lacking (how do you condense a work that consists of four operas lasting anywhere from 16-18 hours depending on tempo and cuts?). Others claimed it was boring, but that's a matter of taste. What could make it work better today is the way shows are designed. Begin and end with the same leitmotif as the Ring does, include the Ride of the Walkuries, use special effects, burn down Valhala, go to town. Of course there is a challenge: how do you do this in a short span of time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Tim K said:

I would not mind a redo of the Ring by Phantom. In my opinion it was one of the most ambitious musical books of all time, but many found it lacking (how do you condense a work that consists of four operas lasting anywhere from 16-18 hours depending on tempo and cuts?). Others claimed it was boring, but that's a matter of taste. What could make it work better today is the way shows are designed. Begin and end with the same leitmotif as the Ring does, include the Ride of the Walkuries, use special effects, burn down Valhala, go to town. Of course there is a challenge: how do you do this in a short span of time.

Wasn't there a proposal for DCI shows to increase from 11 minutes to 16 hours? 

I've always loved the 97 Regiment show, but I don't disagree that the material is a little dry - both source material and arranging that year. I don't think the issue was condensing the material, as they weren't telling the story. The designers were also in the "less is more" phase back then (black corps unis, black guard unis, only one flag throughout the show), and I'd say that contributed to the "boring" feeling.

I've not seen any of the operas, so I don't know the story lines. Maybe a show could be based around just one of the operas? Broken Arrow and Wes Cartwright have used Wagner in the past, but I don't think they were telling a story related to any of the operas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, kdaddy said:

Wasn't there a proposal for DCI shows to increase from 11 minutes to 16 hours? 

I've always loved the 97 Regiment show, but I don't disagree that the material is a little dry - both source material and arranging that year. I don't think the issue was condensing the material, as they weren't telling the story. The designers were also in the "less is more" phase back then (black corps unis, black guard unis, only one flag throughout the show), and I'd say that contributed to the "boring" feeling.

I've not seen any of the operas, so I don't know the story lines. Maybe a show could be based around just one of the operas? Broken Arrow and Wes Cartwright have used Wagner in the past, but I don't think they were telling a story related to any of the operas.

I honestly was very disappointed in most of the sources they pulled from. There are so many sections that I think could have been used and translated to the field better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Academic Festival Overture

Southwind did it in '01, as did the Royal Grenediers decades before, but it screams for a Cadets, Crown, or PHANTOM REGIMENT production.

The whole piece is just over 11 minutes, has a brooding opener, and a glorious full-blown closer, with tons of fun stuff in the middle.

I've been waiting, literally, forever for a top-12 corps to do a full-blown production of it.

(Oh, and SCV may do it justice as well because they're so good at "full-blown productions".)

 

 

Edited by garfield
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, garfield said:

Academic Festival Overture

Southwind did it in '01, as did the Royal Grenediers decades before, but it screams for a Cadets, Crown, or PHANTOM REGIMENT production.

The whole piece is just over 11 minutes, has a brooding opener, and a glorious full-blown closer, with tons of fun stuff in the middle.

I've been waiting, literally, forever for a top-12 corps to do a full-blown production of it.

(Oh, and SCV may do it justice as well because they're so good at "full-blown productions".)

 

 

I agree. My vote would be for Phantom Regiment, then SCV. Both corps tend to be faithful to original scores, although as I say this, Crown would be a good choice too. In 2015 when Crown performed an excerpt from the Verdi "Requium," it was performed with the vengeance the composer intended, so they could do justice to "Academic Festival Overture."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Tim K said:

I agree. My vote would be for Phantom Regiment, then SCV. Both corps tend to be faithful to original scores, although as I say this, Crown would be a good choice too. In 2015 when Crown performed an excerpt from the Verdi "Requium," it was performed with the vengeance the composer intended, so they could do justice to "Academic Festival Overture."

Oh, WOW!  That Crown show, stunning.  And it bled as red as that veil.  Good-gosh, stunning.  And the two kids being dragged back in.  Wow.  Great memory.  Yea, I think they'd do it justice.

 

 

Edited by garfield
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, Tim K said:

I agree. My vote would be for Phantom Regiment, then SCV. Both corps tend to be faithful to original scores, although as I say this, Crown would be a good choice too. In 2015 when Crown performed an excerpt from the Verdi "Requium," it was performed with the vengeance the composer intended, so they could do justice to "Academic Festival Overture."

My secret hope is that Phantom would do it.  I think they could build enough ballet into the middle that the slightly repetitive phrasing could be supportive.  And I hear that big, open Phantom sound, and jazz-run three-against-two cut-time for those last 32 counts, they could beat the literal crap out of those long last chords.  And can you imagine a dark mello line playing those clarinet runs in the opener??  Wowza...  Start the show with the mellos?  

I've been dreaming of that performance since 1973...

I wonder, if I left them $50,000* in my will, would they stop by and play it at my headstone?

 

*I'm joking.  I'll likely die used up, spent out, and the last check I write will bounce.  But I can wonder...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...