Word: glockenspiel
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Indeed, how many bands can proudly say that marionettes, an accordion, confetti, Planet of the Apes and a glockenspiel are important, if not necessary, parts of their live act? The show started with a frenetic accordion-based rendition of the current single "Dr. Worm," from their new album Severe Tire Damage: Greatest Hits. The accordion was heavily exploited throughout the night, with several instances of polka interludes, and such songs as "Subliminal" benefiting greatly from the unique instrumentation...
TMBG definitely had the audience in the palms of their hand. The roadie carrying a glockenspiel garnered a huge response as he shimmied onstage so Dan the drummer could play a note every minute or so in "Shoehorn with Teeth." The marionette head replicas of the two Johns which "sang" "Exquisite Dead Guy" to start off the encore were perfect agents of distraction for the horribly dissonant harmonies (if you will) that are the framework of that song...
...commissioned as a children's work, and the programmatic nature of the music was easy to hear. The first movement, "Two Ghosts," sounded as spooky as the name might have implied. Eerie, gentle phrasing underscored the motion of the "High Ghost" and the "Low Ghost" between the chimes and glockenspiel and the tuba and low strings. An unusually quiet orchestra exquisitely realized the dissonance. (HRO is master of the loud; exuberant finales seemed continually to hit new heights of forte during the concert.) The dramatic dynamic shift was especially effective since the next movement, "Warrior," opened with a drum shot...
...role. The percussion, and occasionally the brass, were often the sole indicators of points of arrival. The end of the first movement was announced with punctuation from the brass and suspendedcymbal rolls. The third movement was delineated by the use of tambourine, and likewise concluded with punctuation from the glockenspiel and brass...
Yannatos' treatment of melody seemed stratified between two extremes: the endless, flowing melodies of the quartet and strings, and the terse melodic fragments delivered by the remainder of the ensemble, particularly the glockenspiel and the brass. The program notes describe the use of a principal theme and motives from both Bach chorales and Beethoven Quartets op. 135 and 74. However, these melodic fragments, regardless of their origin, sounded only as quotes, isolated from the dominant texture. What was lacking was any real sense of interaction between these two melodic worlds. The program describes the principal theme as being part...