MARCH MADNESS
Sunday afternoon I bicycled with two of my brothers to Pinecrest Gardens for a marching band concert in the Banyan Bowl. It was a lovely day for a bike ride; the cool breeze was sweet with blooming orchid trees, and we had plenty of company on the path. {We may have to work with Pippin on right-of-way etiquette.} We even met a friend, unexpectedly.
We made good time on our bike trip, and bought tickets as soon as we arrived. We had our pick of seats; even the front row was mostly empty. Since we were sitting next to the brass section, however, I opted for the slight additional distance afforded by the second row. May I say again, slight.
We had the fun of recognizing an old acquaintance among the percussionists. I always enjoy watching percussionists {they are keeping a beat, which is something I have never been able to do}, and she seemed to be having a great time with the cymbals. We certainly heard a lot from them!
Henry Barrow was master of ceremonies for a program called ‘March Madness’—‘March Madness in February’ Barrow noted ironically. Robert Longfield would be leading the Greater Miami Symphonic Band in music that spanned Sousa, John Williams, and a world premier.
After the classic ‘Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite’ by Karl L. Kling, we stood for the national anthem. They were in the middle before I realized the singing had already started. The brass and percussion were... powerful.
I promised Pippin he would recognize the next piece. ‘Raiders March’ by John Williams immediately called to mind the heroic exploits of an American icon. ‘Indiana Jones!’ Pippin said.
Marcus especially liked the next piece, ‘March of the Belgian Parachuters,’ composed by Pierre Leemans during World War II. This sparkling piece reminded me more of ballroom dancing than of warfare, I confess.
‘El Relicario’ is an energetic Spanish dance complete with castanets and tambourine. ‘The dance is called a pasadoble,’ we were informed, ‘though it is actually a type of one-step.’ Barrow called one of the audience to verify his reading, and chuckled. ‘I don’t write these,’ he confessed. ‘I just read them, and obviously not far enough ahead!’
‘The Free Lance March’ didn’t make it to my list of favorite Sousa marches, but I was interested in the story behind its originating musical show. An enterprising goatherd volunteers in both opposing armies of a war, works his way to the command of both armies, maneuvers them into a complete deadlock, and declares himself ruler over a united empire.
I had heard one of the musicians telling a friend to ‘wait until you hear Xerxes,’ so I was looking forward to this piece. Barrow introduced John Mackey’s composition as an ‘anti-march,’ a ‘mean and nasty march.’ The harsh military sounds and exotic flair made it our instant favorite. Pippin wanted to make sure I would remember the name of the piece so I could look it up for him later.
Next was the world premier of a piece written for the band by young composer Robert Tindle, a fellow home-schooler. ‘Festival’ was a jubilant addition to the concert march repertoire.
Barrow confessed that the next piece on the program ‘stretched the definition of march to the max.’ ‘Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral’ from Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin was a delicate pastoral piece depicting the wedding of Elsa and the knight who rides a swan.
‘Put down that giant fiddle,’ Barrow commanded bassist Susie Wolfe, who took the stage to sing ‘If My Friends Could See Me Now!’ from the Broadway musical Sweet Charity.
Next was a ‘Cakewalk’ by Hershy Kay. We were entertained by the idea of young men trying to out-strut each other for a confectionary prize.
‘His Honor’ by Henry Fillmore was one of the pieces more familiar to me. ‘This is what we all came to hear,’ Barrow announced, ‘a good, old-fashioned American march.’
The program officially ended with ‘Parade of the Charioteers’ from the block-buster epic Ben-Hur. But it didn’t take much prompting from the audience for the band to give us an encore. We all clapped hands to our national march: Sousa’s ‘Stars and Stripes Forever.’ {You knew it was coming!}
I was humming it on the bike trip home.
• March Madness in February •
February 21, 2014