Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 12:05 am
There are a few tunes out there, but the only one that I have any experience with is Eric Ewazen's "Shadowcatcher." Here's the scoop as it relates to your query:
THE GOOD:
1. It's tonal...just like every other contemporary Ewazen piece.
2. Band parts aren't difficult.
3. Would work nicely on a pops concert.
4. The piece has something to do with Native American ceremonies (I don't have the program note in front of me), so one could conceivably use it on a patriotic program.
THE BAD:
1. The whole work is really too long. 4 movements ~28 minutes total You'd have to pick and choose or figure out some cuts.
2. The tuba part is nasty. The work was written for the American Brass Quintet, so the fifth part is really a bass bone part. Lots of skipping around in the range, mostly in and above the staff, and a few high F's and G's for good measure. Other parts aren't as bad, but there are some tricky ensemble sections scattered throughout the piece that will probably require some group shedding.
3. The music is pretty lame overall. I know I'm probably offending the EE fans on the board, but the piece is quite forgettable and sounds very much like everything else that he has ever written. That said, I do think that the last 32 bars or so of the final movement make a very effective ending.
As usual my advice is worth exactly what you paid for it, so proceed at your own risk.
Kyle
THE GOOD:
1. It's tonal...just like every other contemporary Ewazen piece.
2. Band parts aren't difficult.
3. Would work nicely on a pops concert.
4. The piece has something to do with Native American ceremonies (I don't have the program note in front of me), so one could conceivably use it on a patriotic program.
THE BAD:
1. The whole work is really too long. 4 movements ~28 minutes total You'd have to pick and choose or figure out some cuts.
2. The tuba part is nasty. The work was written for the American Brass Quintet, so the fifth part is really a bass bone part. Lots of skipping around in the range, mostly in and above the staff, and a few high F's and G's for good measure. Other parts aren't as bad, but there are some tricky ensemble sections scattered throughout the piece that will probably require some group shedding.
3. The music is pretty lame overall. I know I'm probably offending the EE fans on the board, but the piece is quite forgettable and sounds very much like everything else that he has ever written. That said, I do think that the last 32 bars or so of the final movement make a very effective ending.
As usual my advice is worth exactly what you paid for it, so proceed at your own risk.
Kyle