<See DP1's list of Pieces>
I'd query a few of those, Dave, but your swift response emphasises my point. Why did it need to be Partita again :?: (Great Piece though it is :!: )
Let's see. Negro Sprituals was 1992.
Wasn't Call of the Sea at the Nationals a year ago?
I said 'not used at the
areas over the last
ten years' ;-)
Three Musketeers? Daa Daa Daa Da Da ***
*** Insert split/tuning/intonation problem here
Happens a lot in 4th section contests.....
Simon Called Peter is a doozy, except for the need for Glock ("Bells" according to the score)
and Xylophone. All this would mean is a lot of bands would play it without percussion, and that would be unfiar on those whose percussion players put in a load of effort.
Tam O'Shanter's Ride? It would be a very good fourth section band that could play that well.
How to improve the 4th section, part 1. (I nearly suggested Moorside Suite! ;-))
Laudate Dominum: Overly percussive - too much lost if bands play without percussion.
Trouble is, I know there's an issue here, (also with your comment about Simon Called Peter) but the longer we keep denying that percussion is a very vital part of late 20th and 21st century banding, and efforts be made to adopt that throughout the sections (after all, wasn't there an explosion of lottery grants a few years ago?) then this attitude will prevail.
Celtic Suite? Fourth Section? Not sure about that either.
Similarly, Malvern is oft trotted out for 3rd/4th Section own choice contests, but it's rarely played well.
To be fair and brutallly honest, most lower section contests I've been to have only about 4 ot 5 good performances anyway, whether it's a 'safe' choice or otherwise.
That said, give DP1 another 10 minutes to think, and he'll doubtless come up with another 30 suggestions!
