Last night, in the shadow of the Washington Monument, I attended a
concert given by the U.S.  Army Band.  They were supplemented by The Old
Guard Fife and Drum Corps, members of the U.S. Army Chorus, and the
U.S. Army Herald Trumpets and Chorus.

Man, there is some kind of talent in that band.  They did it all: Pines
of the Appian Way (from the Pines of Rome); a bossa nova send-up that
featured sensational jazz flute playing; a country song that was totally
convincing; the Rifle Regiment March by Sousa; a tribute to Bob Hope; a
faux accompaniment to a silent movie, Teddy at the Throttle, starring
Gloria Swanson and Wallace Berry, which was shown on video monitors; a
suite from Les Miserables, and much more.  All of it was played with the
total professionalism that you would expect from the top band in the
U.S.  Army.

For me, there were two highlights.  The first was a patriotic sing-along.
Now I am the last guy in the world to participate in a hootenanny-type
thing.  But as I will probably never again have the chance to be
"accompanied" by a band of that caliber, I sang till I was hoarse.

Which left many people's favorite whipping boy, Tchaikovsky's 1812
Overture Solonelle.  I usually talk about Mahler on this list, but I am
sure that the piece I have seen most often in live performance is this
masterpiece by Tchaikovsky.  Yes, I said masterpiece.  No matter how
many years in a row I see it, it still makes a huge impression.  The
intonation by the chorus was right on, which is no sure thing as they
are out there all exposed until the orchestra or band comes in.  Last
night the cannons were, well, real live Army cannons.  Oddly enough,
sonically they were kind of underpowered.  But with that music, it didn't
matter.  This concert was broadcast on the Internet.  I hope some listeners
in Russia were able to hear this magnificent tribute to one of their
own.  I couldn't help think of the time I saw a Russian military band
play the Star Spangled Banner.

The encore was none other than the Stars and Stripes Forever.  There's
something about people in uniform playing the flute passage that makes
it sound even better than it already does.  The band turned it into a
medley that concluded with the Army song (The Army [caissons] Goes Rolling
Along).  There were cameramen focusing on various parts of the band and
audience during the concert; during this song, they caught the major
general who is in charge of the Washington Military District in full
voice, singing enthusiastically.  He for sure was not mouthing the words.

 From Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, which opened the show, to
the 1812 and Stars and Stripes, this was an excellent way to spend an
evening in Washington.

Mitch Friedfeld