What would you arrange?

[brassneck]

Originally Posted by Thirteen Ball

That's a common issue isn't it? I've run into that one on a couple of occasions.

I seem to recall for his arrangment of the Planets suite, Stephen Roberts resorted to optional harp parts?

Snell has added other instruments in one of his Respighi arrangements too. I've taken the easy route for this movement. The version linked below, erm, isn't the completed one unless you see wee adjustments in the horn/sop parts (I've not put that up just yet). Left this one until last because it glues the others together. Tempo is a little faster than some recordings I have acquired, to allow it to flow (but still maintain mood).

Respighi - 3rd Mvt. - Ancient Airs & Dances.

[Bass Trumpet]

Originally Posted by Thirteen Ball

I seem to recall for his arrangment of the Planets suite, Stephen Roberts resorted to optional harp parts?

I love your choice of words there!

[PeterBale]

Originally Posted by Thirteen Ball

That's a common issue isn't it? I've run into that one on a couple of occasions.

I seem to recall for his arrangment of the Planets suite, Stephen Roberts resorted to optional harp parts?

When my Dad did "Sorcerer's Apprentice" for the tuba conference he included the harp, as they knew there would be a player available. He's currently in the middle of revamping it for when there's no tame harpist on tap.

[Bungle]

Cry Me a river (Michael Buble big band version) as a solo, possibly trombone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpg-W1092_4

[basebonetone]

Originally Posted by Bungle

Cry Me a river (Michael Buble big band version) as a solo, possibly trombone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpg-W1092_4

Alan Morrison has recently done this arangement and has been performed on Brighouse's last 2 concerts-it will be published by Kirklees music in the near future

[Bungle]

Cheers for that. Is it tricky to play? What section standard do you think would be able to play it?

[GJG]

"First Circle" - Pat Metheny (probably based more on the Bob Curnow LA Big Band version) ... [can't wait to see the average bass section doing the syncopated compound time sig hand-clapping at the beginning ... ]

[Thirteen Ball]

Originally Posted by Bass Trumpet

I love your choice of words there!

I suppose what I meant to say was that he was unable to achieve a similar satisfactory effect through brass alone, and decided including harpists would be better than omitting the passage altogether.

I ran into that with string pizzicatos in the Rondo from Weber's clarinet concerto no.1 which I did as a cornet solo (available on pennine music if you fancy a listen....) Eventually I substituted Bell effects which work, although are removed a long way from Weber's original scoring.

(On reflection - perhaps the word "resorted" wasn't the best way of putting that! I do have tremendous respect for the man's work and particularly for this very suite....)

[RacMac]

What a fab question!

Woad to Ruin by Hans Zimmer from the King Arthur soundtrack (or is it done already?).

[MissRepiano]

After listening to it through Ipod headphones yesterday, I would like a brass arrangement of 'Knights Of Cydonia' by Muse. It's got loads of cool little quirky bits that would sound fab, and would give the purcussion something to do....unlike Moorside Suite!!

[Zappa]

'The Rite of Spring' by Stravinsky .... What a test that would be for top section bands!

[brassneck]

Originally Posted by Zappa

'The Rite of Spring' by Stravinsky .... What a test that would be for top section bands!

Sigh! It will have to wait until his music officially is brought into the Public Domain, then I would expect quite a few arrangements to be placed among us. Should be fun watching conductors get through the last movement though!

[Bass Trumpet]

Originally Posted by brassneck

Sigh! It will have to wait until his music officially is brought into the Public Domain, then I would expect quite a few arrangements to be placed among us. Should be fun watching conductors get through the last movement though!

Aye, the banding world is still a long way behind when it comes to understanding 'modern' rhythms/timings. The Rite is nearly 100 years old now, but I remember bands struggling with time sig changes in The Shipbuilders when I was a lad in the 1980's.

[brassneck]

Originally Posted by Bass Trumpet

Aye, the banding world is still a long way behind when it comes to understanding 'modern' rhythms/timings. The Rite is nearly 100 years old now, but I remember bands struggling with time sig changes in The Shipbuilders when I was a lad in the 1980's.

Part of the problem is the access to more exotic forms of music written by established composers. Banding would evolve a lot more musically if for example, Bartok was filtered into our mainstream a lot earlier. Garry Howarth tried to bring in these styles into his own ditties but he still isn't recognised by most for what he's tried to do.

[trumpetmike]

Originally Posted by Zappa

'The Rite of Spring' by Stravinsky .... What a test that would be for top section bands!

I have heard a symphonic brass arrangement of this piece and even with the slightly more extended aural soundscape that this group can offer over the traditional brass band (they had piccolos, F, Eb, D, C, Bb trumpets and flugels, alongside horns, trombones, euphoniums, tubas and masses of percussion) it was still lacking a HUGE amount of tonal colour.
It left me with the feeling of "why did they bother?"

The performers were astonishing, the arrangement was as good as I think it could have been, but the original piece is packed with tonal colour that a single family of instruments just can't achieve.

When thinking of pieces to arrange, one of my thought processes is often "what is it that makes this piece special?" In terms of The Rite, it is MUCH more than the notes and the rhythms (which are enough of a challenge in themselves).
Take, for example, the opening bassoon solo. It is not in a comfortable register and could have been played on other instruments (cor anglais or even oboe), but the tonal colour that Stravinsky wanted was the specific sound of a high (almost struggling) bassoon. To get the equivalent effect on the brass, it would probably have to be played by a bass.

If I am being honest, The Rite of Spring is one of those pieces that I NEVER wish to see in a brass band arrangement - for me, it is all about the tonal colours that accompany the notes and primal rhythms - remove those tonal colours and I think you could remove one of the basic elements of the piece.