My perception on a band performance at TACC (我對師大管絃樂演奏會的感想)
黃文加 (Calvin Hwang)

I just got back from a band performance by the "National Taiwan Normal University Symphonic Band." I was originally told that this was going to be a symphony orchestra, and expecting chamber music in such a small stage as the TACC, I didn't invite any of my Helix band friends. Big mistake.

This band is the best non-professional band I have ever seen in person, which includes RB and Mt. Carmel. It didn't come close to matching the President's Own Marine Corps Band which I had the pleasure of seeing my freshman year. The band from Taiwan simply did not have the musicality characteristic of professional bands. While technically sound, many of the lyrical passages lost power by a lack of musical sensitivity. However, technically speaking, every section except one was just rock solid.

From their celeste player to their tuba player, they were absolutely wonderful. Being a clarinetist, I spent a lot of time watching the concertmistress and she had great hand positioning and clarinet angles. The brass section and sound was just phenomenal. They played El Camino Real, among others, and since I played it frosh year, I have an idea of just how difficult it is for the brass in particular.

Our brass section frosh year was decent and we butchered the piece. This brass section, with ten trumpets and eight french horns, absolutely nailed the piece. Imagine eight horns playing better than Andy Lane playing horn in this piece. The horn sound was just one warm blanket soaring over the rest of the band as they should. Not to be sexist, but more amazing still was that every horn player except one, the first chair, was female, and 7 of the 10 trumpets were female. However, the first chair trumpet was also male.

My mom says that this is a very big teacher's university in Taiwan and the vast majority of teachers in Taiwan are female. Hence, the disparity. The conductor seemed to have very good command over the band, in many ways similar to Sperling. They responded well to his conducting although he could have done a bit more to encourage the use of musicality. The clarinets had several super high passages, yet they didn't cut through the band sound with a shrill tone, they blended well.

In fact, while I could hear them, I only realized they were playing super high by watching the fingerings. I remember how hard El Camino Real was for the clarinets, although my memory could be slightly biased as it was my frosh year and it has been a while, but all the runs were perfect. As I look at the music, the runs weren't actually all that difficult, but their success in playing them as one testifies to their technical skills.

The only blemish I heard in the entire concert, which lasted approximately two hours, was in the brass opening of El Camino; the conductor took the first notes rather slow and one of the trumpets jumped. Other than that, not a mistake from the band all night that I could hear. Actually, they did miss something. The percussion didn't play a chimes/bell part in El Camino, but I think that was because they were missing the instrument. I notice the percussions looking at each other during that part and now as I listen to it on my comp, it's definitely a vibes part that they didn't have room for.

In addition, the oboe section, despite their gold plated keys, was flat out not good. Raymond would easily fit into this band as a first chair. Everyone was playing on really high quality instruments. My mom told me that in Taiwan, they always buy the best stuff, despite the cost. Back to the oboes, their sound was simply very small, little vibrato if any, and very timid. Speaking of vibrato, the saxophone solo in one of their pieces had a very nice controlled vibrato. Good to hear a good saxophone for the first time in a while, no offense Austin.

I was sorely tempted to attempt conversation with a clarinet, the concertmistress in particular, but I thought better of it, with the language barrier and how weird I would seem (almost like that asian stalker guy we know).

Their final encore of three was highly entertaining. They actually played the Tequila song! Imagine this, a band entirely of asians, playing the tequila song, complete with visual choreography. After two hours of playing, I was very impressed at the great sound the brass were still producing.

The university is the equivalent education level of UC Berkeley here, but oboe section and lack of musicality aside, their band just kicked ass.