Old Russian marches and waltzes

[Trombo]

The concert band of the Ministry of defense of the USSR on TV in the 70's.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d_fXCUCEviU

[highpitch]

What a lovely set of recordings.

It is interesting how the low brass followed the German 'Kaiser' pattern back then.

Dennis

[iiipopes]

I just recently purchased one of those oval baritones from the Ukraine on ebay. The price was so low, and the horn was in such good shape, it was automatic. It has all of its original hardware and mouthpiece (including its original rotor thumbscrews, which are the first item to get lost), and no dents, just a couple of usual dings and the lacquer worn off, which lets me know it was actually played. At 2:45 into the video linked, the second piece of the broadcast, is a baritone section passage. The horn I purchased sounds exactly like what you hear in the recording. I think I'll try to get an Oktoberfest gig with it, as we have a town near hear that is historically a German settlement, with all of the celebrations attendant to the occasion. The horn is a great addition to the main horns for fun and occasional gigs.

[davewerden]

Thanks - brings back memories! In 1989 the Coast Guard Band performed in the USSR, and in some cases shared the stage with the Leningrad (i.e. St. Petersburg) Military District Band. Here is a video of the latter doing the Autumn Dream that you refer to above:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNPMglCxtaw

And from a couple years later, here is the CG Band doing the same piece at Midwest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJX39gwwC7U

The vibrato used by the LMDW was more robust than we used at the time, and the section there consisted of 2 of the baritones discussed in this thread plus 1 euphonium. Their sound was wonderful, and made even better by the arrangements, which usually used the 2 sections in harmony.

[MarChant]

They all play so motionless and seemingly effortless...still you can hear the emotion in the music. Excellent!

The conductor (the first one) looks so happy and content.

[Trombo]

Here is the beautiful old waltz "On the hills of Manchuria " dedicated to fallen Russian soldiers in the Russo Japanese war (1905).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh4pFYVneX8

it's Defence Ministery Band.

[ghmerrill]

The concert band of the Ministry of defense of the USSR on TV in the 70's.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d_fXCUCEviU

This strikes me as excellent Russian military bands playing rather silly German waltzes and march music.

You want Russian? Go with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QZFzK2BFyE.

[Trombo]

All these marches and waltzes written Russian military conductors XIX century. But we must understand that some of them were Germans. Even the Russian Tsars who loved militarily music and themselves played the wind instruments were at 90 percent by the Germans. Nicholas I and II played cornet, Alexander III played trombone, baritone and tuba.
Russian military music is divided into 3 stages: stage I: imitation of German military music, stage II - the creation of an original Russian military music, and stage III - the creation of the Soviet military music.
March Farewell of Slavianka applies to the 2nd stagey. This is a purely Russian March in minor, not major as the German marches. March Farewell of Slavianka known all over the world. It is a symbol of Russia as the Moscow Kremlin and Red square.*In 2012, Russia celebrated 100 years of the March Farewell of Slavianka. The March was written in 1912 by conductor Vasily Agapkin inspired by the events of the First Balkan war.
I wanted to introduce Western musicians with little-known Russian marches and waltzes.

[MarChant]

All these marches and waltzes written Russian military conductors XIX century.

What do you mean? They play at least two pieces written by nothing like Russians:

- 2. is "Autumn Dream" by Archibald Joyce from the United kingdom
- 4. is "Above the Waves" by J. Rosas from Mexico

[Trombo]

My apologies. I thought it was Russian military conductors, the Germans by nationality.

[Trombo]

Here's my favorite old Russian March in minor 'Homesickness'.*
Two versions - traditional and modern. In the modern version I don't like the arrangement.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E9cDxjvVRQM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sOr84ZKuYZg

[ghmerrill]

Well, there's a lot of room for personal taste here, I suppose. Personally, what I like about Russian music is it's fundamental -- for lack of a better term -- Russian-ness. And I don't seem to find that in the German-ized, French-ized, Vienna-ized renditions of it. For example, I think the "Recollection Waltz" («Вальс Воспоминание») is an unfortunate watering down of the original Gypsy «Очи чёрные» -- to the point that I almost don't recognize the tune. I suppose the "Recollection Waltz" is better designed for playing on a piano and for hearing in salons. But it simply doesn't have the emotional weight of «Очи чёрные».

(Full disclosure: I have a kind of love/hate relationship with «Очи чёрные» since at one time I was required to be able to sing at least the first two verses from memory in Russian -- and I reallly don't sing well. I continue to admire people who can deliver it with the Gypsy passion it deserves.)

[Trombo]

The author of 'Recollection waltz' (Вальс "Воспоминание") is Archibald Joyce from the United Kingdom.

This waltz I do not like also. Old Russian Waltz ' Amur waves" a lot better. (IMHO)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=jBMIwTHEFQw

[MarChant]

Yes, that is a beautiful Waltz.

[ghmerrill]

The author of 'Recollection waltz' (Вальс "Воспоминание") is Archibald Joyce from the United Kingdom.

This has been a bit confusing. Archibald Joyce was not a Russian composer, but (as you say), a British composer who apparently was marketed as "The Waltz King" (though I thought that title went to Strauss). He seems to have no relation to Russian music at all except that a couple of Russian orchestras on occasion played a couple of his waltzes. I can't find any mention of his ever composing something called the "Recollection Waltz" except for a couple of attributions which may simply be errors. He DID compose a "Remembrance" waltz, and so it seems likely that "Recollection" is just a sloppy English->Russian->English translation. My Russian dictionary isn't handy at the moment and I can't check how accurate that translation would be. However, the Google translator translates "remembrance" as <<память>> and "recollection" as <<сосредоточенность>>, whereas <<bоспоминание>> is translated as "memory". So there does appear to be some infelicitous translation going on here.

On the other hand, the waltz know to RUSSIANS as the "Recollection Waltz" is in fact «Очи чёрные» under another name. See here: http://www.talesfromthekeyboard.com/...ark-eyes-waltz. Hence my confusion. And again with regard to the original posting, this "Remembrance Waltz" is NOT in fact an "Old Russian" waltz but an old English waltz. It's just being played in this case by a (fairly) old Russian band. It's just not Russian music.