Excerpts from Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber)
Excerpts from Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance (Samuel Barber)
The show begins with a simple concert arc of winds, a group of dancers in the middle, and a string quartet. The opening strains of Adagio for Strings hauntingly echo through the Dome. The only movement on the field is that of the dancers, whose graceful motions, and balletic poise move with the line of the music. After 2 phrases of Adagio, the arc separates, and the "Medea" group begins marching at double the tempo of the "Adagio" group, still playing their melodic line. Soon, the entrance of Medea strikes, with a punctuated rhythm, on top of the smooth, flowing Adagio. While the two pieces coexist for several seconds, the Adagio gives way to Medea, and the entire band joins up for the initial impact, one minute 45 seconds into the show. One of the loudest points in the show, the impact will be repeated in different styles later in the piece.
The second movement, titled "Collage", is just that. Fragments of Adagio and Medea are taken out of the original, and interwoven. A small tidbit of Medea is followed by a bit from Adagio, and so on. The second half of the Collage, at the tempo change, is from the ending of Medea's Dance, and although the tempo does not change, the mood and pitch of the music picks up "speed" as it moves towards the impact. After a double company front hits, the winds and drumline go into silent, rotating lines, while the color guard performs a flag feature. Following the silence, a traditional loud chord ending hits, tritones leading into a Bb major chord. The winds are also in a scatter drill, the color guard out on the perimeter, for Adagio.
Adagio for Strings Part 2 begins with the saxophone line taking the melody, as flag soloists and groups enter with copper colored flags. Slowly, each section enters the musical phrase, adding thickness and depth. The scatter ending from Collage slowly morphs into an "infinity sign", or a sideways 8, for the impact. After the rich chords fade away, a brass quartet (Jason Becker, JT Blackburn, Andrew Eaton, and Mike Wade) assume the Adagio statement, while the infinity sign collapses into a 2-tiered "C". A piccolo solo (Liz McOuat) drifts out above the sustained chord in the brass, with the melody from Medea. As she holds her last note, the Medea Finale begins.
The finale is made up of what is most likely the most famous part of Medea, the "Dance of Vengeance" itself. After the initial 5/4 impact, the groove sets in, and the piece begins to develop. As the winds move through a 4/4 groove section, a 5/4 impact, and another 4/4 groove section, the percussion parts and guard work becomes more intricate, and challenging. The groove switches gears to a more frantic 3/4 feel, which continues into the second half of the Finale, which compresses the groove and melodic parts further. The tone of the piece becomes frantic, and melodies we heard earlier in the Collage are repeated, except at a faster tempo. As the piece draws to its most frantic, the winds move into the last scatter transistion to the mass "dot", and the low brass enters with the strains of "Adagio". Music overlaps Adagio and Medea, and exits the overlap in the impact chords of Adagio, as the wind dot presses forward. The final Fb major chord is held for 10 counts, and released to the pit, which resolves the power of the chords. After the pit, to complete the cycle, the phrases that open the show close the show. The beginnng bars of Adagio begin, with strings (Evan Blind, Lauren Conlon, Becky Foust, Alexis Saba), who then take over solistically, closing the show quietly. Out from the dot marches a soloist (Kari Isenhour) and the rest of the winds bow their heads reverently towards her and the orchestra. After the last note is finished (from Nationals), the field commanders too turn and bow reverently toward the audience.
**If the following links don't work for you, please go to Indiana Band Central to get the files to download. They are under Multimedia/Interactive. Thanks!**
To hear a RealAudio recording of the 1998 Regional Performance: Click here. To hear a RealAudio recording of the 1998 Carmel Performance (with a short gap in the closer): Click here To hear a RealAudio recording of the 1998 Greenwood performance (courtesy of Indiana Band Central): Click here
While you're here, check out some pictures of our new uniforms! (Thank you Steve Wash!)
The Band at Retreat The Color Guard and Field Commanders
Results: Lawrence Central Invitational Lawrence, IN
Third Place
Best Music
Best Guard
72.85
Ben Davis Invitational Indianapolis, IN
First Place--Class A
Overall Grand Champion
Best Guard
Best Percussion
Best Field Commanders
Best Visual
Best General Effect
80.00
Greenwood Invitational Greenwood, IN
Second Place--Class A
Best Guard
Best Music
Best Visual
81.55
ISSMA District Center Grove, IN
Division I--Class A
Best Music
Best Marching (Visual)
Best Auxiliary
Best General Effect
80.8
Planet Hollywood/Carmel Invitational Carmel, IN
2nd Place-Class A
82.8
ISSMA Regionals Bedford, IN
Division I--Class A
87
ISSMA State Finals Indianapolis, IN
4th Place-Class A
90.35
Finals Results 1. Lawrence Central 92.00
2. Homestead 91.30
3. Carmel 90.85
4. Center Grove 90.35
5. FJ Reitz 89.65
6. Penn 87.05
7. Castle 86.45
8. Anderson Highland 86.25
9. Ben Davis 85.70
10. Northrop 85.05
BOA Regional Championships Indianapolis, IN
Prelims Results:
Best Visual--Class AAA
3rd Place--Class AAA
Finals Results:
Best Visual (tie with Lake Park)
3rd Place Overall
90.45
Regional Champions:
Centerville HS, OH (Overall and Class AAA)
Marian Catholic HS, IL (Class AA)
Bellbrook HS, OH (Class A)
BOA Grand National Championsips Indianapolis, IN
Semifinal Results:
Class A:
Bellbrook: Class Champion
Outstanding Visual
Outstanding Music
Outstanding General Effect
Class AA:
Marian Catholic: Class Champion
Outstanding Visual
Outstanding Music
Kiski Area: Oustanding General Effect
Class AAA:
Lassiter: Class Champion
Outstanding Music
Outstanding General Effect
Center Grove: Oustanding Visual
Finals Results:
12th Place: Union HS, OK
87.85
11th Place: Broken Arrow HS, OK
88.35
10th Place: Tarpon Springs HS, FL
91.05
9th Place: Winston Churchill HS, TX
91.30
8th Place: Lake Park HS, IL
92.50
7th Place: Carmel HS, IN
92.55
6th Place: Kiski Area HS, PA
92.95
5th Place: Centerville HS, OH
93.90
4th Place: Marian Catholic HS, IL
Outstanding Music
94.55
3rd Place: Center Grove HS, IN
94.75
2nd Place: Plymouth Canton EP HS, MI
Outstanding Visual (tie)
96.30
1st Place: Lassiter HS, GA
Outstanding Visual (tie)
Outstanding General Effect
97.55
1998 Field Commanders Jennifer Barton and Jessica Barfield smile after the Spring Cabaret
"Do we not, in truth, expect the impossible of music when we expect it to express feelings, to translate dramatic situations?"
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