It's the start of a new school year here in the States! Hooray! I thought I'd kick things off with another YouTube concert of performances of my music that I've discovered over the summer.
First up is a performance of Star of Valor, uploaded by the AFA Symphony Orchestra of the American Festival of the Arts Summer Music Conservatory at Pershing High School in Houston, Texas. They do a really nice job balancing the overlapping melodies and negotiating the tempo changes. Their intonation is really good. And just look at the concentration in their faces.
Here's a really nice performance of Westward Motion, performed by the CMS 8th Grade Orchestra. Again, there's no indication of where they're from, geographically. But they do a nice job with the piece. My only quibble: they clearly have timpani, chimes and a glockenspeil on stage and they're completely unmanned and silent throughout the piece! The percussion parts are optional, but I always prefer to hear them whenever possible.
I've saved a really good one for last: check out this performance of Gauntlet from the String Quartet Program of Northern Colorado Works in Progress concert. It looks like an all-ages group and they do a remarkable job bringing the emotion out of the piece. This is definitely one of the best performances I've heard of Gauntlet. The whole concert is great, but Guantlet starts at about 12:10.
There is another video of this same performance, just of Gauntlet, taken from a closer angle at stage level, but I wasn't able to link it to this post. It should be easy enough to find with a quick YouTube search, though.
Back in September I spent 10 days in Italy, seeing beautiful things, visiting wonderful places, and meeting fascinating people. This was my second trip to Europe - the first was in 2002 and Italy was just a small leg of a larger journey, so when it was time to go back, I knew that I wanted to explore Italy more.
And explore I did! I signed onto a guided tour which took me to Rome, Tivoli, Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, and Venice. I brought my trusty Olympus SP-620UZ along with me and a list of things to see and when I got back home I compiled the thousands of photos and hours of video into an epic video. And then (much like Peter Jackson's upcoming Hobbit movies) I had to split it up into three smaller videos because YouTube has a 15-minute limit for videos on a basic license. Then I made a trailer for the videos using an iMovie template. So please sit back and enjoy my trip with me!
Another great teacher has posted tutorial videos on You Tube! She goes by the name QuietMusic, and I'm not sure where she's from, but please to enjoy and play along with her videos for Gargoyles:
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
'Cello
Bass
Nice job! These are great - thank you for posting them, anonymous teacher! I hope your administrators, students, and their parents appreciate your dedication.
How about a little online concert? Let's kick things off with Gauntlet, performed by the McMath 8th Grade Orchestra of Denton, Texas.
This might be one of the best performances of Gauntlet I've ever heard. Here's why:
1. The tempo is perfect.
2. The expression is really great (especially in the "hard part": mm. 56 to 80)
3. Fantastic intonation and rhythmic precision.
4. The articulations are dead-on perfect. Listen to how short those staccato notes are. They're so dry they're practically a fire hazard. You could go out and get a bite to eat between each of those notes.
Up next is the 2012 Middle School Honors Orchestra (there's no indication of what district or city, but I've been able to narrow it to the state of Georgia) performing Zydeco Two-Step (they start playing at 1:00).
Nice job! It's a little faster than I'm used to hearing it, but it was handled nicely and the increased tempo adds a rollicking feel to the piece. Also, nice use of dynamics. Everyone looks like they had a good time playing this one.
Finally, here's the Cooper Middle School Orchestra (possibly of McLean, Virginia?) performing Las Mariposas Exoticas.
Delightful! They did a good job of making it sound delicate and light. The key to this piece is to make the arco articulations match the sound of the pizzicato and this group did a great job, especially at the ends of phrases.
I was on YouTube recently and came across these great play-along tutorial videos for Lemon Twist. There's not a lot of info about who this wonderful teacher is, but she's providing these videos for her students in the Middletown Middle School Orchestra.
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
'Cello
Sorry, Bass players, looks like you're on your own because there's no Bass video in this series. But anyway, great job to this wonderful orchestra teacher for her dedication to her students. I hope the orchestra, their parents, and your administrators appreciate all your efforts!
I don't think any of my music is prepared this way. I'm pretty sure that my publisher creates printing plates electronically. But still, imagine engraving whole pieces, symphonies, and even operas in this painstaking method. And doing it all backwards. Hats off to these engravers and their artistry.
Every year around this time, I share some songs that I've been enjoying recently. While I love a lot of music, I usually just use my iPod when I'm running, so I don't keep classical music on there. It's hard to keep a steady pace when tempos and moods keep changing, so I prefer up-tempo pop music. Here are some of my current favorites:
1. "Domino" by Jessie J.
She's like the British Katy Perry and has a really powerful voice. I'm impressed with her vocal control on the melismas and I like her subtle use of vibrato. The song itself has a great beat and fun chords.
2. "Back and Forth" by Bright Light Social Hour
This Austin-based band is really good, but there's an even better version of this song, if you can find it. Their keyboard player (who goes by the nom-de-DJ "Mirasole") did a techno-electronic remix that is truly amazing. Unfortunately, it's not available on iTunes or YouTube. Anyway, enjoy the original version and its weird video.
3. "Maniac" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Here's a great song to run to - I just love that propulsive bass line and excellent drumming. There's no official video for this song, but I found a really good fan-made clip that features a stuffed ferret, geometric solids, and a tea party. You're welcome.
4. "Love Etc." by Pet Shop Boys
Like a lot of Pet Shop Boys songs, this one has a wonderfully sly sense of humor and that characteristic bone-dry, sarcastic British wit. It has a great call-and-response melody and the aloof, icy cool beats indicative of great English dance pop.
5. "The Geeks Were Right" by The Faint
This is another ice-cool electronic dance tune. There's a serious environmental message in the lyrics, but the buzzing synths and mechanical beats are the real draw.
6. "Breakin' Up" by Rilo Kiley
Whispy, breathy vocals become stronger and more assured as this song progresses, moving from ennui to complete confidence. The song is about getting over a relationship and by the end, it's an all-out hand-clapping sing-along celebration of freedom. This video is kinda hilarious.
7. "Clap Your Hands" by They Might Be Giants
I got to cross off "see They Might Be Giants live in concert" from my bucket list last year when I attended an amazing 150-minute show that included 8 encores and every single one of my favorite Giants songs. I've been a fan of theirs since middle school and believe that Lincoln is one of the greatest albums in all of music. The show I saw was for grown-up kids, but they still played some songs from their kids' albums, including this little gem. There's no story or heavy meaning here - sometimes you just need to get up and clap your hands, stomp your feet, and jump in the air.
8. "Holidays" by Miami Horror (featuring Alan Palomo)
I love love love the fat bass sound in this modern-day disco song. And speaking of weird videos...
9. "Friday I'm In Love" by The Cure
Is it any surprise that the composer of Gauntlet is a fan of The Cure? They have a reputation as a mopey English band that sings dark, sinister rock dirges and they're a touchstone of goth style, but this song is an absolutely ecstatic expression of sheer happiness. Beneath all that dark eye makeup and tangles of Edward Scissorhand hair, their hearts are little balls of sunshine. I couldn't post the official video, but this one will do nicely.
10. "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen
Quite simply the greatest song written by the greatest rock star who ever lived and performed by the greatest rock band ever assembled.
Check out this video of the string orchestra of l'Escola Municipal de Música de Calvià. They open their show with"A Breeze In the Keys".
I'm not used to hearing it that fast, but for this piece a slightly faster tempo works. It also helps that they have spectacular musicianship and are able to make the piece sound effortless. So where exactly is l'Escola Municipal de Música de Calvià? Well, it's here:
In the western Mediterranean off the Spanish mainland.
BAM! INTERNATIONALLY FAMOUS COMPOSER!
I forgot most of my Spanish when I learned Italian, but gracias a Profesor László Füllöp!
A friend of mine recently let me know about this YouTube video of a combined orchestra performing Gargoyles. Have a look:
This is really cool - I don't think I've ever seen such a huge orchestra performing one of my pieces. They literally fill the floor of a gym and require four conductors (by my count). Nuance goes out the window with an ensemble that size, but they make an impressive sound! Well done, New Berlin Combined Orchestras!
Well, Oscar Season is over and I can re-focus this blog on music. Before I tell you about some of the thing I've been up to in the past six weeks, here are some new videos.
First up is a performance of Mambo Incognito in Plano, Texas:
Now, I've seen and have participated in plenty of concerts in school gyms. It's just a fact of school scheduling and resources and, to be honest, the acoustics are often more flattering than in auditoriums. I have not, however, seen an audience in the bleachers and the orchestras filling the floor. Look at all those orchestra students! Looks like those teachers are doing something right. The performance is really good too. Great job, kids!
Up next is Gauntlet, performed at Hanahan High school for an unnamed All-County concert.
Excellent tempo. As I've written before, one of the biggest problems I hear with Gauntlet is the tempo. It requires a fast tempo, but faster is not better. Take note - this is how it should be done. I don't know who the conductor is here, but she got it just right. Also, great style on the middle section. Way to go!
Next is a performance of Elementals as a quintet performed by the Naomi Hasan violin studio in Madison, WI.
Orchestras and classes come in all sizes, so it's not uncommon to hear the same piece played by a band of sixty or a chamber ensemble. Admittedly, some pieces work better than others when reduced down and I think Elementals is one of them (though a bass added to the mix wouldn't have hurt). This appears to be a group of adult students and I think that, for the most part, they did a fine job. I don't mean to sound disparaging, but the 'cello was off. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt - maybe his pegs got knocked out of tune before going on stage or he was sight reading (I've done some sight reading in performances before).
Finally, let's hear Las Mariposas Exoticas, performed by the Lanier Middle School Philharmonia:
Fantastic. The orchestra did such a great job here and I'd like to point out the excellent use of the harp. There's no harp part in the original version and the part they came up with was very tasteful. I love the harp and wish I could write more for them, but harps in school ensembles are rare and it's not cost-effective to write for them most of the time. And in my experience, harpists can't stand playing piano parts - they're such idiomatically different instruments that it's hard to play one on the other.
Agincourt really seems to be catching fire, based on the appearance of a new batch of videos on You Tube. Please to enjoy a very good performance by the Bowditch Advanced Orchestra:
Not bad! A good performance makes up for the fact that they mis-pronounced my name in the intro. But up next is the thundering herd known as the Clay, Carmel, and Creekside Middle School Symphony, also playing Agincourt. The tempo is great in this one and I really like the enthusiasm that they bring.
Go, middle-schoolers, go! You rock that advanced-level piece! I'll end this post on a somber note. Here's the Sierra Vista High School orchestra playing A Hero's Welcome. Very expressive and beautifully done - bravi.
I just wish the YouTube postings gave more information about the groups. I'd love to know where each of these schools are, so I can add them to my map.
It's been a while since I've updated the ol' blog! I found a couple of new YouTube videos that I can share. First up is a nice performance of "A Breeze In The Keys" by the Evergreen Orchestra. They do a great job with the syncopation.
The second video is not really a video. It's a recording of "Las Mariposas Exoticas" accompanied by an odd little collage. The style and the use of dynamics are really spectacular in this recording, the intonation is beautiful, and the tempo is rock-steady. I'm not sure who the group is or where they're from, but bravi to them and hats off to their director!
