Best You Tube recording I have seen. =) I really like the fast tempo. With Rocky Point, you always have to take a fast speed, or else the piece just drags. Kuddos to this band.
Back in the day (longer ago than most of you have been alive) my high school took our top band and pared it down to true wind orchestra size (40+ odd players) just to play this piece. We had the number 1 high school band in Indiana at the time and these players were the best of the best. We played this and it was the greatest experience of my years of playing. No other band I have played in has tried to attempt it. You have no idea how much I want to play it again. I've heard many top bands play this including the Dallas Wind Symphony. This band did a very commendable job of playing.
Which HS in Indiana? Our HS Symphonic Band (Bishop Noll) played this my freshman yr (1984) and played the hell out of this song. I was 2nd chair tenor sax. First and last yr as second chair.....sat 1 chair and section leader for the remainder of my time in band.
@@HipNoticQ Elkhart Central High School - 1975. Was a junior bassoonist doomed to play Bari Sax because the two senior bassoonists were both All-State Band members.
how ion the hell do you even single tongue that fast on a clarinet part? much less play the run in 3rds with all the chromatics??? you guys are evil good :) congrats and respect!!!
One of my band directors was second chair clarinet for this piece. It is so cool how I am getting to play it for marching band at the new school he teaches at WPHS-CISD
WOW SNAZZY PERFORMANCE I am playing this in High School Band, and let me say this blew my socks off. Great high articulation tubas. (and I am jealous of your guy's instrumentation.... 3 tubas 3 oboes... 3 baritones)
That was GREAT... Every time I hear this piece tho... I can't help but think 1983 Garfield Cadets DCI Champs opened with this... What is so ironic is that this was a piece written for woodwinds... Excellent
our wind ensemble played this for district music festival and got a perfect 35/35, it was amazing, considering is sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school
I think you are very right on that one--myself I haven't heard this work quite so fast,God knowns I wouldn't be a good enough player to keep up (!)--or a good enough conductor to turn the pages so fast (!), and that's probably why (at least for my part) I have never heard this work quite so fast--but I do like it--excepting the end. I am not familiar with Dr. Ron's Fanfare, but if it is consistent with his other writings, it's a peach. Outstanding that you were able to play with him--congrads!
After I commented, I listened to some other college bands, and maybe it's the quality of the recordings that are different, not the tempo so much. But still this is the fastest I have ever heard this. I wonder how Dr. Nelson is doing these days. He came to Western Michigan U. when we opened up a new music building in '82. He wrote "Fanfare for a Celebration" for us and we played it under his baton. One of the highlights of my time in the symphonic band there!
Nice quality recording. Some of the players were not up to that tempo however, particularly in some of the sections requiring double tonguing. Those were small issues however. Exciting performance overall. Audio quality was ok but I would be interested to know what mics they used.
@zeron8195 With the excellent vibrato - would be a euphonium. Thought it possibly could be a muffled french horn, but you can see they are not playing during that phrase.
Well that's great! Our trombone teacher is actually from Laredo too, Rai Morales. You should really look into it! Go to the schools website and shoot him an email.
@librarymark: I'm going to disagree--I think the faster tempo tends to hold and connect all the counterpoint together (the downside being there are some wonderful progressions in this work and you certainly lose some of that sense). (To my way of thinking, counterpoint always trumps progression, since its the voice leading the defines the progression--not the other way around). I certainly give you the finale (both tempos) was really, way, way, way too fast--where the work losses it pacing!
@YEP321S Probably that, or some elitist bastard who thinks the only college bands worth listening to are UNT or Eastman. Either way, we can't deny that this is an awesome performance.
