YouTube

OK,

I've been faced with a conundrum. I was told today that excerpts from three pieces on Saturday night's concert were filmed and placed on YouTube. On one level, I am flattered that someone thought enough of the performance that they would take the time to film it and place excerpts on YouTube. Perhaps this is someone who read yesterday's posting and thought that they would help spread the word and build the audience by giving it more profile in the YouTube community. If these are this person's reasons, I have to thank him for his efforts.

On the other hand, what has happened is theft. The work of the composers, publishers, arrangers and performers has been stolen and distributed without any of their permission. Is PSWE going to loose revenue or are the members going to suffer financial hardship because of this act? I very much doubt it. Are the composers going to lose income over this? Are the publishers going to lose sales? It is highly unlikely that any of this will happen. The important point is that none of the people who have ownership of this property have been consulted. Mr. Marshall has not heard our recording of his piece yet. Perhaps, when he hears it he will claim that we were so far off the mark from his intentions, that he asks for the archival recording to be destroyed. Again, I very much doubt that this will happen but, he has the right to protect his intellectual property. By posting this video to YouTube, that right has been taken away from him.

I don't know the person who took this video. I have a name and brief profile. I have to assume that no harm was intended and hope that our best interests were the motivation behind recording and publishing these videos. I would have to ask people to think twice about recording the concerts of others without their permission. If you are interested in recording's of our music, we have four CD's for sale that we will gladly get to you. If there are enough people who are interested in seeing our concerts in video format, we can investigate archiving them and getting permission from all stakeholders for distribution in this format. But until that happens, please respect the rules of the theatre and do not record, in any way shape or form, concerts that are not your own.

If you have comments or responses to this, please click the comment link below and let us know your thoughts.

Concert Wrap Up

Thank you to everyone who attended tonight's concert on both sides of the proscenium. To the band, I constantly throw very challenging repertoire at you and it never ceases to amaze me how well you pull it all off! Both from a technical and musical standpoint, I consider tonight to have been a big success.

To the audience, thank you for supporting us. Your role in the concert experience is no less challenging than the musicians. where the musicians have six to eight weeks to get to know a work and come to an understanding of it, you get one shot! To digest something as complex as Chris Marshall's Renascence in one listen is a daunting task. I truly hope that you were moved by Mr. Marshall's brilliant writing and Jane and the band's outstanding playing.

I have to say that I was disappointed in tonight's turn out. I appreciate each and everyone who was there and had a chance to speak to many of you. If you have ideas on why tonight's attendance was atypically low or what you think would draw larger audiences, please let me know privately by emailing info@pswe.ca or commenting here on the blog. Comments to the blog can be made anonymously if you desire.

Our last performance of the season will be on May 10 and will include, among other things, Mussorgsky's great Pictures at an Exhibition. Encourage your friends to come out to a concert experience that you cannot get anywhere else!

Concert Tonight!

Just writing to remind you of this evening's performance at the Evergreen Cultural Centre. Rehearsals have been progressing wonderfully and this should prove to be a very exciting performance. On the program are:

Alfred Reed's Awakenings from Three Revelations from the Lotus Sutra
Frank Tichelli's gorgeous setting of Amazing Grace
Bob Margolis's Terpsichore

and the World Premiere of Christopher Marshall's Renasence with Jane Hayes on piano.

Concert begins at 8pm at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam.


See you there!

The Review(s) are(is) in!

Hi folks,

The International Trumpet Guild Journal's most recent edition has published a review of Trajectories. Here it is:

From ITG Journal

Vol 23, No 2

January 2008

Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble (with Jens Lindemann) - Trajectories
PSWECD 006 (CD); info@pswe.ca;http//www.pswe.ca

This is a terrific release of exciting new wind band repertoire, all composed by Canadian Fred Stride. Music Director Marc Crompton has put together a professional ensemble, based in British Columbiaʼs Lower Mainland, that plays with a polished sound and technique reminiscent of such groups as the Dallas Wind Symphony and the Presidentʼs Own. The orchestration and tone colors for which Stride calls are remarkable, and his music is imbued with jazz elements, reminding this listener of such
contemporary writers as Michael Daugherty, Michael Torke and Eric Whitacre. The final work on the disc is the only one that features trumpet: the thirteen-minute Trajectories, written for and performed here by Jens Lindemann. This acrobatic showpiece is a perfect vehicle for Lindemann to demonstrate the musical and technical skills for which he is known. The piece is in two main sections. The first part, lyrical and contemplative in nature, is based on an atonal six-note pitch class that undergoes much transformation. The second part features wide leaps, much use of very fast multiple tonguing, and a moto perpetuo feel - definitely not a piece for the soloist who is faint of heart! This is a very enjoyable recording of new and interesting wind ensemble music, and the listener receives the added bonus of getting to hear Jens Lindemann perform at
his finest.

(Peter Wood, assistant professor of trumpet, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL)

The Interview

At long last, the interview has been posted on the PSWE Web Site. It is about 20 minutes long but well worth the listen. Chris Marshall sheds light on his composition in a way that only the composer can. I hope you enjoy hearing what he has to say and are enjoying your homework! :)

One update to the homework post: I have found a recording of Resonance on Chris's website. It is definitely worth a listen! It is here.


See you you on the 23rd!

Pre-Concert Homework

Congratulations! You have continue reading despite the scary title to this post. I know that my students would have probably broken into an immediate rash, shut down the computer and run hard and fast.

I am more excited about the World Premiere of Renascence than I have been about the performance of a piece in quite a while. This piano concerto by Christopher Marshall (pictured to the left), has an amazing balance of tension, release, passion, angst and beauty. It speaks to rebirth and is the focal work on our February 23rd concert.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris last weekend and we did a short interview that dealt with the origin of the piece, his thoughts about it and the significance of the title. This interview will be posted on the Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble web site in the coming days and I encourage you to give it a listen.

This is not your homework, however. Some prior listening will help make your first exposure to Renascence even more poignant. First, I encourage you to find a recording of Schubert's song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin. In particular, you want to listen to Trockne Blumen. All of the melodic and harmonic material in Renascence is based on this piece. Not that I'm a Schubert expert by any stretch, but I am particularly enjoying the recording by Malcolm Martineau & Michael Schade that I purchased from the iTunes Store. Only 99¢ for the one movement and $9.99 for the full disc.

Secondly, you need to go to Chris's web site and listen to the recordings he has posted there. They will give you a taste of his writing style. In my estimation, his two best works are missing from his web site collection. They are Resonance, which was recorded by the International Youth Wind Orchestra at the WASBE conference in Killarney, Ireland last summer, and Renascence which hasn't been performed yet!

Even though, this is a wonderful work that will be a moving experience for an uninitiated first time listener, listening to the recordings recommended will help to put the piece in perspective for you.

Happy listening and see you at the Evergreen Cultural Centre on February 23rd!