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FW: (long) ISB concert review

From: STEPHANIE W. WILSON [mailto:swwilson@xxxxxxxx]
Sent: 23 April 1999 15:28
To: njh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: (long) ISB concert review


Nigel - here's the review.  Please forward it to the list for me.  Thank
you!

Stephanie



ISB Concert on Monday, April 19, 1999 in Winson-Salem

Repertoire

Marches:
California (Soderstrom); Goldcrest (Anderson); The Joybringer (Downie);
Mighty to Save (Marshall); Milestone (Himes)

Light and Contemporary:
Dance before the Lord (Graham); He is exalted (trs Cordner); Keep me
praising (Mackereth); Laudes Domini (Gordon); St. Denio Variations
(Cordner); Shine down (Blyth)

Reflective and Devotional:
Aubade (Norbury); Deep and Wide (Mackereth); The Father's Blessing
(Downie); Knowing you (Davies); I vow to thee my country (Holst arr.
Steadman-Allen); Make me a channel (Himes); People need the Lord (trs
Davies); Saviour, lead me lest I stray (Babb)

Major Works:
Born to battle (Broadstock); Call of the righteous (Condon); Gaudete
(Norbury); Isaiah 40 (Redhead); The Kingdom triumphant (Ball); Odyssey
(Norbury); The Present age (Condon); A Psalm of praise (Curnow);
Renaissance (Graham); Resurgam (Ball); Shine as the Light (Graham);
Toccata Oh the blessed Lord' (Heaton); Victory (Downie)

Classical:
Folk Festival (Shostakovich trs Cordner); Finale from the Organ Symphony
No 3 (Saint-Saens trs Norbury); Russlan and Ludmilla (Glinka trs Kenyon)

Solos:
Cornet:
Clear Skies (Ball trs Phillips); Golden Slippers (Bearcroft); Healing
waters (Downie); High Fidelity (Bearcroft); Quicksilver (Graham); Song to
Swing (Thomas); When I remember (Catherwood)

Euphonium:
Annie Laurie (Catherwood); The Better world (Bearcroft); The Conquerer
(Steadman-Allen); My unchanging friend (Bosanko); Spirit of life
(Catherwood)

Trombone:
Cavatine (Saint-Saens trs Blyth); Count your blessings (Boon); The
Immortal Theme (Steadman-Allen); Joy in my Soul (Silfverberg); Sing a
happy song (Camsey)



First off, let me warn you, I don't know SA music all that well
(unfortunately).  Unless the title of the piece was announced, I have NO
idea which one was played.  Fortunately most of the pieces WERE announced.
And announced or not, they were all, every one of them, absolutely
beautifully played, filled with emotion, filled with music, filled with
the Spirit....I sat transfixed for 2 hours....it was wonderful.  I'd
follow them all over the country if I could, just to hear them again.

The band came in, sat down to play, and began with Folk Festival.  The
music was brilliant, sparkling, fast....exciting....  I found myself
holding my breath at times (don't know why, except sometimes when I get
deeply absorbed in something, I sort of forget to breathe regularly.)

Next was a soothing, calming performance of "Shenandoah" (not on the
repertoire list).  The arrangement was beautiful, the playing was of a
totally different nature than the previous piece, instead of brilliant and
sparkling and electrifying, the sound was smooth, lyrical, meltingly
beautiful.

Someone led the audience and band in prayer, then the band played again,
this time "Shine as the Light."  (I think).  This was a somewhat longer
piece than the first two.  It began with a brilliant section, became
lyrical, had the melody "Walking in the Light" in it at the beginning....

After the first three pieces, if I had been in the cornet section, someone
would have had to carry me out on a stretcher.....but did they stop to
take a rest?  (Big grin) And if I had been playing principal cornet on
those first three pieces played in close succession to each other like
that, so brilliantly, well, I'd have been lucky to "live" through those
first three pieces if I had been playing the solo cornet part.
So....imagine how surprising it was to me for the NEXT piece, immediatly
after those first three...was a CORNET SOLO!  David Daws not only survived
playing those three demanding pieces of music, NOW he was going to play a
solo, and not just ANY solo, he played the "original" version of "Clear
Skies" - the version that was thought to be too difficult for people to
actually be able to play (the published version isn't as difficult as the
original).

What tone he has....Clear Skies is one of the few cornet solos I recognize
(it's on a CD I have), and it's one of my favorites (probably because it's
one of the few I know?).  What tone...what control....flexibility....such
a sensitive, musical performance....what a beautiful piece, and it was
played exquisitely by David Daws.  I was fortunate enough to have the
opportunity to speak to him after the concert, and he was SO nice.

Immediatly after the cornet solo, there was a trombone solo.  I don't
usually enjoy low brass solos all that much (I'm somewhat biased towards
cornet solos, I guess, being a cornet player), but THIS one was definitely
an exception.  Andrew Justice played Cavatine, and it was simply gorgeous.

Right after Cavatine, there was another (unannounced, sorry) trombone
solo.  I enjoyed it immensely as well.  Ummm....this solo was a jazzy
sounding, sort of  "swing" arrangement, but I have NO idea which one it
was.  Whatever it was, it was extremely well played.  One of my trumpet
students came to the concert with his Dad (the father plays trombone), and
BOTH of them enjoyed the solos AND the rest of the concert tremendously.
I saw the child nudge his Dad when the trombone soloist stood up to
play....and the two of them exchanged enormous smiles afterwards.

After the second trombone solo, David Daws engaged in some mock
.....ummmm....prima donna behavior?  There was light banter between the
trombone player and the cornet soloist....involving the bandmaster....some
"complaints" that the trombone soloist got to play more solos than he
did....that's not fair...the bandmaster insisted it WAS fair, because HE
played the cornet as well, and he NEVER got to play, he always had to
conduct....the end result was David Daws and Stephen Cobb performing a
cornet duet with band accompaniment.  (Sorry, I don't know who conducted
the band while the bandmaster was playing, I also do not know which piece
was played, the title was not announced, I think).  At any rate, I was
almost beside myself with excitement - another cornet piece, a DUET this
time!  It was fantastic.  Such brilliant playing....what fantastic
technique these people have, not just the soloists, but the entire band!

Next was "Keep me praising."  Nice sparkling arrangement.  The tune was
unfamiliar, but who needs to know the tune to enjoy the music?  Not I.
(Big grin)

Last before a short intermission was "Toccata Oh the blessed Lord.'" This
piece had much contrast in it- brilliance, lyrical sections, dynamic
contrast....and it was a VERY nice piece of music.  I liked the piece, and
once again, the ISB played it beautifully.

Short intermission during which a friend of mine (a trumpet major....we
play together in our corps band) and I exchanged excited comments on the
band's playing....especially the cornet soloist (being both of us cornet
players, naturally).  Primary focus of our discussion was how easily and
naturally these people played....as if it were no more difficult than
taking a breath....or sitting in a comfortable chair reading a book.  It
truly looked effortless when they played.  Doesn't feel effortless when WE
try it, but it sure LOOKED easy when THEY did it.  (Big grin)

Second part of the concert: sorry, the first 4 pieces were not announced,
or if they were, I didn't hear the titles.

First piece was bright and rhythmic, very enjoyable, well-played, and THIS
after an hour or so of pretty strenouos playing (ok, they made it LOOK
easy, but that doesn't mean it WAS easy.  If I'd attempted to fill in for
one of them, it would have required an ambulance by the end of the first
half of the concert....and oxygen....I'm sure.     ;-)    )

Second piece was smooth and lyrical, very enjoyable.  It was about this
point I noticed that Bandmaster Stephen Cobb used a baton to conduct SOME
of the pieces and used his hands to conduct others.  Either way, his
conductig (from where I sat) looked clear and easy to follow.

Third piece...ummm....I have a note on my paper here....somewhat
cryptic....all it says is "Jesus put this song into our hearts."  I THINK
this was an arrangement of a chorus with that title....but it's not on the
repertoire list.  Sorry....I was rather a bit absorbed in listening,
sometimes I didn't make very good notes on the music.  Whatever it was, it
was beautiful.


NEXT on the program was a euphonium solo - "The Conquerer."  This was a
sparkling piece, lyrical at times....brilliant at times....expertly played
by...ummm....got to look at my notes.... Derick Kane.  By this time, I'd
forgotten about my ....ummm....bias against low brass
solos....(hehehehee....I must confess, I tend to skip to the cornet solos
on my CDs, but not anymore.  I promise, I'll listen to the low brass ones,
too, from now on.  I enjoyed these solos tonight too much to limit myself
to listening to only the cornet ones from now on.....really....)  For me,
there was a growing excitement as I listened to this piece....towards the
end, I could hear a "high note" ringing in my head...a note that just
"demanded" to be played....and when the solo actually DID end on this high
note (impossibly high for a euphonium, no?  But it was there, he played
it, and it sounded fanstastic!), anyway, when the high note actually was
PLAYED, it was hard for me to sit still.  I wanted to jump up and dance or
something.  It was ....well, my vocabularly is becoming rather limited,
itn't it?  It was wonderful!  Just brilliant....marvellous...

Next came another "unannounced" piece.  It was sort of
"contemporary-sounding," rhythmic, brght and happy....and very
well-played, of course.

After that one was "Resurgam."  I have this one on CD, and it's one of my
favorite pieces of music.....and although I can't really point to one
point as my "favorite" part of the piece (I love it all!), the section in
it with the "Dies Irae" in the low brass is one of my favorite spots.  I
was delighted to discover the next day that that section ALSO was a spot
in the piece my husband enjoyed (he's never heard the CD...it "lives" in
my little box of CDs that goes everywhere in the car with me....so it's
normally not at home where he would be able to pull it out and listen to
it.)  What impressed him most was the rhythmic precision - there was on
such thing as sloppy articulation or sloppy rhythm in this band.  Every
person's playing was well done....clear, crisp articulation, precise
rhythm....I respond most (I think) to the emotion of the Dies Irae section
(and the lyrical section that begins and ends the piece....after
everything that comes in between, this was one piece that moved me to
tears by the end.  Gave me gooseflesh, too....

A short devotional talk by the National Commander (Commissioner Watson)
was next.  It was short....and to the point.  I was sort of surprised
there was no choral piece or vocal solo, or even a piano solo in this
concert.  Also a little surprised there was no "official" Scripture
reading....I guess the devotional talk served the same purpose?

Anyway, after the National Commander spoke, the ISB played "Russlan and
Ludmilla."  This was an EXCITING piece.  I'd never heard it before, and I
loved it.

THEN, after 2 hours of playing, David Daws played ANOTHER solo!  After TWO
HOURS, the man had enough left of his face to play a cornet solo....and
this was no easy beginner thing with limited range, this was a REAL
solo....you know...difficult, demanding, HIGH....(big grin). It was
unannounced, but the tune that appeared nearest the beginning was the
chorus "when I remember that He died for me, I'll never go back
anymore...." so I GUESS it was "when I remember?"  At any rate, it was
wonderful.  He sounded fresh and relaxed....like he was just getting
warmed up and could have played all night (and if this band had wanted to
stay and PLAY all night, I would have been MORE than happy to sit there
and LISTEN to them all night!)

Last on the program was a march.  At least I think it was a march.
Whatever it was, it was exciting....brilliant....and so VERY well-played.

Their playing was exquisitely IN TUNE.  I have never actually HEARD a band
this size play in tune, not like THIS.  There was total purity in sound,
in intonation....and what a beautiful tone results when the intonation is
so good....  What a wonderful experience to listen to a band....what
appeared to me to be a LARGE band....play in tune, with entire sections in
unison....as if one big instrument were playing each part....and the
intonation between sections....octaves were in tune...truly
octaves...chords were rich and sonorous....the tone was pure and sweet,
with none of the "sing," quality that comes from "intonation wars"
among individual instruments.  The ensemble played TOGETHER...no stray
notes, no rhythms slightly mis-played here and there....everything was
tightly locked in place, so the ensemble truly PLAYED as an ensemble.
Words fail me to describe the beauty....the tone...the remarkable
playing...the precision...the emotion...the MUSIC that night.  I sat there
with gooseflesh fairly often, tears in my eyes....virtually transported
from this world to another one for just over 2 hours....and it was
wonderful.

In some respects, being a not-so hot cornet player, I felt unworthy even
to shine the shoes of the bottom chair second cornet player....in other
respects, I felt it an honor to BE a cornet player....even a not-so-good
cornet player, after hearing this band.  I was able to speak to several of
the people in the band after the concert, and each one of them was so
NICE.  It's a good lesson for me....I may not PLAY like these people can
play, but I CAN be nice to people consistently.  (Big grin)

last thought....wouldn't it be wonderful to live somewhere that you could
hear a band like this play on a regular basis....instead of once or maybe
twice in a lifetime?

Stephanie


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