{"product_id":"innovations","title":"Innovations","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eINNOVATIONS \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Lowell Graham, cond; U.S. Air Force Band \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e KLAVIER 11170 (68:16) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eSTRAVINSKY \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eFireworks. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eGRAINGER \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eThe Warriors. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eSHOSTAKOVICH \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eOctober. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eBARBER \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eMedea’s Dance of Vengeance. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eBARTÓK \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eThe Miraculous Mandarin: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eSuite \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eI can see the reason for transcribing music from one instrument, or group of instruments, to another—musicians don’t want to be deprived of the opportunity to play pieces not ordinarily offered to them. So I’ve heard, for example, Bach played on synthesizer, saxophone, bassoon, banjo, koto, accordion, marimba, and harmonica, among others, some more or less effective, but none as convincing as the original, intended instrument. And the larger the group, inevitably the larger the degree of difference—involving color, attack, timbre, texture, character. Ultimately, the relative success or failure rests with the transcriber, who, ideally, should be required to take a modified Hippocratic Oath: “First, do no harm.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThese transcriptions for concert band are all done well, and since strings are, to my knowledge, the only instruments missing from the original orchestrations, there are obvious, audible differences, but how severely they affect the music seems to depend on the particular score. I miss the strings most in Samuel Barber’s \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eMedea’s Dance of Vengeance\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, where there is a loss of tenderness and the dramatic contrast between aggressive and lyrical passages is diminished (fortunately, this is a concert band and not marching band, so the important piano part is included). With more emphasis now on the winds, Stravinsky’s influence on the music is easily discernible. Similarly, Bartók’s debt to \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Rite of Spring\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e in his \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eMiraculous Mandarin \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eSuite is even more noticeable now, while the lack of strings affects the performance too, where the loss of the cutting edge and snap of the string phrasing results in less punch and momentum. Not being previously familiar with Percy Grainer’s \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Warriors\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e makes a comparison impossible, though those moments where the focus is on percussion instruments and jolting rhythms sound convincing. (The Stravinsky influence here is more \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ePetrushka\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e than \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eRite of Spring\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e.) But as the music turns more lighthearted (and, in Grainger’s words, “all bitter and vengeful memories vanished”) these warriors seemingly interact as colleagues rather than antagonists, and the dilution of excitement can be blamed on the composer. The instrumental alterations damage Dmitri Shostakovich’s moody, ultimately rousing symphonic poem \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eOctober \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eless than any of the other works, probably because it receives the most intense performance of the bunch—and it’s ironic that the U.S. Air Force Band does its best in a musical tribute to the Soviet Revolution of 1917. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe Air Force Band is unfailingly accurate and commendably focused at all times; it’s not really their fault that the nature of the transcription is working against them. Nevertheless, it is easy to recommend this ambitious program to band aficionados and modernist-minded listeners who are curious about hearing this repertoire from an unfamiliar perspective. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Art Lange \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Klavier","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49703546650904,"sku":"019688117023","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1745515_6db728cd-96d9-4e63-ab27-c6e4f20de33e.jpg?v=1777830830","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/innovations","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}