lawdn Posted August 14, 2022 Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 (edited) Congratulations Blue Stars! You finished a great season strong and gave the audience a moving, powerful, lovely show to savor all season long. Thank you for being Blue Stars! Edited August 14, 2022 by lawdn 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueStainGlass Posted August 14, 2022 Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 5 hours ago, Liahona said: You nailed it! @BlueStainGlass Congratulations Blue Stars on your highest competitive placement since 1977 and highest World Class Finals score of all-time! Ngl I don't even remember that 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueStainGlass Posted August 14, 2022 Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 Now you too can feel like you played the best bari solo of the season. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake W. Posted August 15, 2022 Report Share Posted August 15, 2022 I kept meaning to stop by and mention how much I was enjoying Blue Stars this season, and now seems as good a time as any! Full disclosure, I haven't really adored or even cared for a Blue Stars show since "Le Tour", which was my first time ever seeing them. I always felt like everything was too safe, checking boxes but never going full in on any of them. Somewhat cute (Where the Heart Is), somewhat kitschy (Carpenters), somewhat classical (the over-arranged Le Reve that took the teeth out of Wagner and made his music mild), somewhat thematic (Call of the Wild). All just...nice. Nothing bad, nothing to get on my feet about. I was so floored by "War & Peace" this year. Finally, it felt like Blue Stars' design team chose a direction and went all in on it! The show was mature and dignified, and honed in on and defined some vague ideas and broad themes into a supple, nuanced show with impressive complexity by the season's end. Blue Stars and Prokofiev felt like a match made in heaven all summer. I think most importantly for me, while Blue Stars have always played well, I was truly moved in the last minute of the show at Finals - something I did not expect at all! By the end of the season, Blue Stars' brass line and music book was grand, sweeping, confident, and passionate, and that last minute or two sounded huge and robust, but still nimble and masterful. I think credit goes to both the OUTSTANDING brass writing in the closer as well as the talented corps they fielded this year that handled those giant, shaped, sustained phrases so effortlessly. And, not just the closer - I could listen to that show over and over (and will!). So much meat and potatoes, and mountains of depth in the brass and percussion books. It all came together in a way that felt intensely clear and well-layered. Accessible yet complex is a really difficult balance to achieve, and Blue Stars succeeded in spades this year. This season, the closer in particular was the first time I've ever gotten shades of a top 5 corps from them. I would love to see them continue to rise and build on this record-setting season. Can't wait to see what you come out with next year, Blue Stars, and congrats on your highest finish since 1977!!!! A fabulous season and a fabulous show that I will revisit frequently. Thank you for filling the classical/mature niche so elegantly and beautifully this summer! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brians Posted August 15, 2022 Report Share Posted August 15, 2022 (edited) On 8/15/2022 at 2:39 AM, Jake W. said: I kept meaning to stop by and mention how much I was enjoying Blue Stars this season, and now seems as good a time as any! Full disclosure, I haven't really adored or even cared for a Blue Stars show since "Le Tour", which was my first time ever seeing them. I always felt like everything was too safe, checking boxes but never going full in on any of them. Somewhat cute (Where the Heart Is), somewhat kitschy (Carpenters), somewhat classical (the over-arranged Le Reve that took the teeth out of Wagner and made his music mild), somewhat thematic (Call of the Wild). All just...nice. Nothing bad, nothing to get on my feet about. I was so floored by "War & Peace" this year. Finally, it felt like Blue Stars' design team chose a direction and went all in on it! The show was mature and dignified, and honed in on and defined some vague ideas and broad themes into a supple, nuanced show with impressive complexity by the season's end. Blue Stars and Prokofiev felt like a match made in heaven all summer. I think most importantly for me, while Blue Stars have always played well, I was truly moved in the last minute of the show at Finals - something I did not expect at all! By the end of the season, Blue Stars' brass line and music book was grand, sweeping, confident, and passionate, and that last minute or two sounded huge and robust, but still nimble and masterful. I think credit goes to both the OUTSTANDING brass writing in the closer as well as the talented corps they fielded this year that handled those giant, shaped, sustained phrases so effortlessly. And, not just the closer - I could listen to that show over and over (and will!). So much meat and potatoes, and mountains of depth in the brass and percussion books. It all came together in a way that felt intensely clear and well-layered. Accessible yet complex is a really difficult balance to achieve, and Blue Stars succeeded in spades this year. This season, the closer in particular was the first time I've ever gotten shades of a top 5 corps from them. I would love to see them continue to rise and build on this record-setting season. Can't wait to see what you come out with next year, Blue Stars, and congrats on your highest finish since 1977!!!! A fabulous season and a fabulous show that I will revisit frequently. Thank you for filling the classical/mature niche so elegantly and beautifully this summer! The show was art, class, poetry, and musicality in motion. A sophisticated, mature show that may not be fully appreciated by non musicians. They made some really difficult musical moments look sooooo easy, fluid and flawless!!! Great Job Blue Stars!!! Edited August 16, 2022 by brians 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueStainGlass Posted August 15, 2022 Report Share Posted August 15, 2022 I love the orchestral/symphonic approach. Yes balls to the wall FFF is great but it's unique to hear balance and blend that's different than the others. And looks like the brass heads are all coming back 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KVG_DC Posted August 15, 2022 Report Share Posted August 15, 2022 Blue Stars caught my ear around 2014 with their sound and it shaped up fast into a really rich top to bottom symphonic sound. It's somewhat a signature of Blue Stars show (along with those guard books) now and I look forward to it every year. It seems they found some ways to add the 'extra' without losing the character of it this year in ways that got rewarded more too. If they can lean into that strength, and shore up percussion, Stars can push despite the obvious crowding from 6 on up there is gonna be! I think it allows Blue Stars to have a different selection of reps to choose from when designing too. The symphonic sound opens up some pieces that other corps might not touch because they go for more brass band or such sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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