Spring Festival 2009 pieces announced...

AndyCat

AndyCat

Active Member
sop 1 said:
Yes i have too,but all those bands are and have worked really hard at working up the test pieces just for some random to say they were dire!!
Lets just hope you're bands dont play dire too,but im sure they wont!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

I'm sure, just like the last time we played Pageantry, it will be nowhere near a fully convincing performance!
 
tubaloopy

tubaloopy

Member
sop 1 said:
Yes i have too,but all those bands are and have worked really hard at working up the test pieces just for some random to say they were dire!!
Lets just hope you're bands dont play dire too,but im sure they wont!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
I will not be competing this year.
Would you like me to lie?
Since when does working really hard on a piece = good performance?
It helps of course but only if the raw material is there in the first place.
ps "random"?
 
PeterBale

PeterBale

Moderator
Staff member
Thirteen Ball said:
I'll certainly agree that there are some pieces which contain sections which appear to be there purely as a technical challenge.

Whilst I don't have anything against this per se I don't see why it should be necessary to do so. For example, the section n St Magnus that's all 9:16, 5:8, 7:8 etc etc which when looked at in musical phrases, could easily be re-scored in 3:4 and 4:4 and line up exactly with the barlines. I've never worked out why Mr Downie felt it necessary to score the section in this manner, as the challenge for the player is still there regardless. It's just written to look harder than it is - which is pointless.
Click to expand...

Peter Graham admitted doing something similar in his Composer's Talk about "On Alderly Edge", and then pointed out that at least one conductor had seen through the subterfuge and rewritten it in a more straightforward fashion.
 
Bayerd

Bayerd

Active Member
PeterBale said:
Peter Graham admitted doing something similar in his Composer's Talk about "On Alderly Edge", and then pointed out that at least one conductor had seen through the subterfuge and rewritten it in a more straightforward fashion.
Click to expand...

Harrison's Dream has got the same BS in it as well.....
 
Thirteen Ball

Thirteen Ball

Active Member
Gorgie boy said:
I don't have a problem with composers doing this kind of thing. It's a test piece for conductors as well after all!!
Click to expand...

Seems like a nonsense though. Write something a simple way, change all the barlines to make it look horrific, then wait for every conductor to change it back.

I suppose it'll sell extra printer ink and manuscript paper, but what else does it do? The challenge should be in the music, not in deliberately obstructive scoring.
 
ploughboy

ploughboy

Active Member
I'm with Andy on this one, the notes are hard enough in most cases and then you've the musicality and expression to put in, why bother playing games with the barlines too!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top