Quad Aces Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 26 minutes ago, Fred Windish said: adman makes an important observation. I'm an old guy, too. I've seen perhaps a thousand individual shows through the years. I have never enjoyed every production and certainly never will. However, watching the Zionsville event on Flo also gave me concern. Designer self-indulgence is a good way to put this. I saw complexity in movement and sound at the expense of audience engagement. For example, playing another composer's arrangement with twice the number of notes he/she required. Or, maybe, running all over the field more frantic than ever. Except for Madison Scouts, I think the rest took turns trotting the entire ensemble from one side of the field to another. It became so predictable, tedious, and boring. Like turning a kaleidoscope too quickly, not taking enough time to enjoy the patterns. Serious lack of sustained melody. As soon as I thought I recognized something, it was gone! No confirmation. The requisite brass flourishes/flutters were far too frequent for my taste. But, if this is what scores . . . . . Posters often write, " I guess I'll have to see it a few times before I start to get what they're doing." Too bad much of the local audience in attendance will only view each corps' production once ! Never send them home confused. But all of these issues that you write about aren’t new - this started probably 25 years ago. This surely didn’t just happen at Zionsville 2019, right? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorWay Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 (edited) 41 minutes ago, Fred Windish said: adman makes an important observation. I'm an old guy, too. I've seen perhaps a thousand individual shows through the years. I have never enjoyed every production and certainly never will. However, watching the Zionsville event on Flo also gave me concern. Designer self-indulgence is a good way to put this. I saw complexity in movement and sound at the expense of audience engagement. For example, playing another composer's arrangement with twice the number of notes he/she required. Or, maybe, running all over the field more frantic than ever. Except for Madison Scouts, I think the rest took turns trotting the entire ensemble from one side of the field to another. It became so predictable, tedious, and boring. Like turning a kaleidoscope too quickly, not taking enough time to enjoy the patterns. Serious lack of sustained melody. As soon as I thought I recognized something, it was gone! No confirmation. The requisite brass flourishes/flutters were far too frequent for my taste. But, if this is what scores . . . . . Posters often write, " I guess I'll have to see it a few times before I start to get what they're doing." Too bad much of the local audience in attendance will only view each corps' production once ! Never send them home confused. I I can relate to this, never send them home confused should be written down in stone. Take for example crowns ballad. Gabriel’s oboe is a beautiful piece, but it’s almost over arranged to the point that it looses the effect it had on it own. I think arrangers are overly arranging music so much lately that we don’t hear a lot of melody and the natural effect of the piece then gets lost. My two cents. Let the source music do the work! Edited June 26, 2019 by WarriorWay 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Windish Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 Just now, Quad Aces said: But all of these issues that you write about aren’t new - this started probably 25 years ago. This surely didn’t just happen at Zionsville 2019, right? Right, indeed! The speed of changes is too rapid for me, I guess. A senior citizen condition affecting many things. I still enjoy excellence in execution. That's a given at this level. I continue to be awed by these performers. My support continues. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 2 hours ago, 2muchcoffeeman said: To me, BD, for a few years prior to Felliniesque, was deepest into self-indulgence. re:Rite of Spring was more like homework than entertainment. Then they started reaching out to the audience more, or so it seemed to me, and I've enjoyed them immensely in recent seasons. Same here. I'm a longtime Devils fan... and to me, they turned a corner in 2014 after a stretch of "not quite sure I get this" shows. From '14 on I've enjoyed every one of their shows, whether I totally "get" the themes or not. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 1 minute ago, Fran Haring said: Same here. I'm a longtime Devils fan... and to me, they turned a corner in 2014 after a stretch of "not quite sure I get this" shows. From '14 on I've enjoyed every one of their shows, whether I totally "get" the themes or not. Me, too. They got me back on board with Felliniesque. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 What exactly design-wise is different this year so much so that last year's shows are being described as creative genius while this year's shows are being considered designer self indulgence? Seems a tad overdramatic 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 2 hours ago, 2muchcoffeeman said: To me, BD, for a few years prior to Felliniesque, was deepest into self-indulgence. re:Rite of Spring was more like homework than entertainment. Then they started reaching out to the audience more, or so it seemed to me, and I've enjoyed them immensely in recent seasons. By the very nature of the subjects, BK could be accused. At least on paper, their themes of late have been centered on the self, memory, time, identity. But as esoteric as they have been, BK also has been very much about inviting the audience in to their weird world, not excluding them. They have been more "join us, won't you?" and not so much "get a load of this." Cadets come to mind: Jamming Christmas down our throats in August -- though that show is much beloved by many. Re-numbering the football field. GH demanding new paint on the field. Huge platforms on the sideline and cheesy banners. All-black uniforms for no obvious reason. Can't really remark on this year's shows yet. Can a show about the Rite of Spring really be considered esoteric? Seems pretty explicit. Not sure I'd consider The Beat My Heart Skipped esoteric nor 1930. 2010, and 2012 though, I do agree. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 Just now, Terri Schehr said: Me, too. They got me back on board with Felliniesque. We watched them rehearse in PA just before East last summer... and I thought, OMG this could have been a DCA show BITD... meaning it had built-in entertainment value in spades, at least for me. Not a single "what the heck was that???" moment, again IMO. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Tuma Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 Self-indulgence to me is designers recycling ideas because they think they’re so great. One of my favorite corps suffered from that for a couple years, I haven’t seen them yet so don’t know if things have changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c.l. Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 3 hours ago, Lance said: not a fan of much of anything i've seen so far this year, june or not. i don't blame designers, though. it's just a taste thing. completely on me. wondering if this is going to be the start of a limbo period for me like 2001-2006 where i'm just not liking the trends. Not to hijack the topic, but have you/others you know ever decide to hang up your hat on a season you didn’t care for and just come back later? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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