Buzzards Premiere

[Roger Aldridge]

Just wanted to let friends on the forum know that Buzzards in Love, the concert band piece I wrote last year, is going to receive its premire at Maryland Band Day on June 13 in Bel Air, MD. It will be performed by the Olney Concert Band. If I'm able to get a recording I'll post it on my page at the American Music Center.

I'm very impressed with how Brian Dameon, OCB director, has worked with the band to bring this music to life. Last year, I started to have doubts about the band being able to play it. The composition is quite different from music typically played by concert band. However, thanks to Brian, it's coming together very well. His interpetation of the music exactly matches my concepts.

For those who live in Maryland, the Olney Concert Band starts at 5:00. If you Google Maryland Community Band Day, you'll find a website with info about the event.

My page at the AMC has the full concert band score for Buzzards as well as a leadsheet version. Link -- http://www.amc.net/RogerMAldridge (follow the link and click on the compositions tab)

Roger

[Gandalfe]

Roger, please, please, pretty please get at least an audio, if not video recording. I'm hard pressed to get bands to try the music because of the weird instrumentation that you favor. (This is a good thing in my book.) Maybe with a sound track I can strike up a unique group with the correct players and instruments.

[Roger Aldridge]

Yes, I'm trying for a recording! Also, next time I'll not make a typo in the word premiere. ha ha

When I wrote the Buzzards score last year I had the players and instrumentation of the Olney Concert Band specifically in mind. Happily, the OCB is a full-size concert band and generally has quality players for all of the parts. Our first chair flute is breath-taking on alto flute. In fact, at the time I was working on the Buzzards score the OCB had THREE players who own an alto flute and are quite good. Guess I became spoiled with the band's instrumentation.

One thing I've never liked about what I think of as "typical" concert band writing is the doubling of lines. Any of us who have played bass clarinet, baritone sax, or bassoon (as an example) in a concert band know exactly what I'm describing. With my Buzzards score it was my intension to have line doubling (other than tone color blending) used as little as possible and to give each instrument interesting things to play. However, on the downside, if a band does not have the instrumention as needed in my score it can be a problem.

Being completely up-front, writing for concert band is a challenge for me in that I'm happiest writing for a mid-size ensemble -- around 10 to 14 players -- in which each instrument can be heard as a distinct color. It drives me crazy to double lines in a concert band score simply to give a particular instrument something to play.

I'm starting to think about writing a new piece for concert band. However, when I think about instrumentation (ie, some bands not having a full concert band instrumentation) and line doubling, it has such an effect on me that my instinct is to not even start on another concert band score and, instead,focus on writing for smaller ensembles. But, I would like to write another piece for the Olney Concert Band. So, I'll see if I can work though my issues.

Roger

[Roger Aldridge]

Many thanks to Brian Damron and the Olney Concert Band for the splendid premiere of Buzzards in Love. I am quite happy with the performance and audience response. The Buzzards soared!

Sadly, recordings were not made of any of the performances.

Roger