Band-o-rama Pleases Again

by Kristina Curkovic

Last Saturday, a full­house crowd filled Hill Auditorium for the annual Band­o­rama. Comprised of mostly of proud parents and friends, and eager, noisy school kids,they come to watch two fine ensembles the Concert and Symphony bands but mostly, they come to gape in awe at the Marching Band, the usual highlight of each Band­o-rama.

Although the marching band is a crowd favorite, all three bands had marvelous performances, each introduced by the voice of the Michigan Marching Band, Carl Grapentine. The Concert Band had a notable performance of a Sousa march - the only Sousa march that includes a harp. It appeared that sousa failed to vary from his usual theme even for the elegant sounds of the harp, for the harpist's hands amusingly bounced back and forth in the familiar "oom-pah" of the base line. The concert Band also performed a Percy Grainger piece, "Walking tune," and "Pas Redouble" by Camille Saint-Saens.

The Symphony Band, conducted by UM's Director of Bands, H. Robert Reynolds,performed "Fanfare for a New President," a piece written for the innauguration of President Bollinger, a short, unexciting piece that lacked any UM spirit. Bryan Kennedy, professor of the French horn at the School of Music, was the featured soloist in "Variations on a Tyrolean Song," a long piece that showcased Kennedy's somewhat amazing abilities. The Symphony Band's also premeired Michael Daugherty's "Niagra Falls," a spectacular, loud work that was a visual as well as aural event. It was an exciting, well­orchestrated performance, capped by the introduction of the composer himself.

However, I must admit that the performance that everyone really seemed to be waiting for was that of the Marching Band. For me, it was the first time that I'd witnessed Band­o­rama from the crowd's side; for the past three years, I'd performed with the Marching Band. A warning in the program rather frightened me: "Due to danger resulting from structural vibration in the building, please refrain from marching with the band as it enters the auditorium. We heartily endorse clapping." Here, then, was an ensemble that had the power to literally bring down the house, not just through it's own will, but throught the excitement they inspired in the crowd that adored them.

I think the band alone could have caused a seismicly­detectable tremor in Ann Arbor last Saturday with the performance of some of their louder songs. Perhaps it's a fallacy to say "some of their louder songs," when, really, all of their songs are loud, louder, and loudest. Whether such volume was necessary I saw ears being plugged during the hair­raising "Also Sprach Zarathrustra" is beside the point. What we had was a sampling of the sound that fills Michigan Stadium each Saturday afternoon, all caught up in this small auditorium. It was riveting, ear drum­popping entertainment at its best.

The crowd loved every song, but special favorites were "George of the Jungle" and the collection from Star Wars that included fun, crowd­pleasing visuals by the quirky percussion section. My personal favorite was by far "Malaguena." Its performance had been [refaced for me during a spine-tingling band practice a Friday a few weeks ago when, amid thinder, sideways rain, and lightning seemingly choreographed to the music, the band performed this song as though the world wasn't coming down around them. That was a performance like no other.

But Band-o-rama was certainly comparable: a great cummulation of campus talanet, music and muscle, and crowd-pleasing performances.