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theme then sees another variation played on the trumpet, and then theres a section where the woodwinds play a downward scale. This led to a soft flute melody which then became an exchange between the flutes and the horns. This exchange then led a crescendo where the timpani and the snares helped build the intensity. A lull then occurs, fooling the audience into thinking that that was only a fake climax, only to crescendo to the end, finishing the piece with a characteristic forte. Later in the concert, sandwiched between two vocal pieces, was Eugene Goossenss Concerto op. 45 for the oboe, for which Sergeant First Class Daniel Brimhall played the solo. The piece began with a mystical clarinet flourish, like a gust of magical wind that left a maiden, characterized by the oboe, curious and wandering. The oboe then went on to flourish up and down with a note pattern that was seemingly atonal but had a mystical feeling to it, establishing dialogues with the flute. Overall, the first theme was legato and mezzo forte with constant modulation in the dynamics. A sudden bassoon arpeggio added a momentary suspense, as if trouble was on the horizon, but the overall mood remained undisturbed; the oboe continued to play its upward flourish at about a mezzo forte dynamic level with a slow, pliable. After the second mysterious, staccato arpeggio from the bassoons, the rest of the band came in, and a new theme was introduced. This theme was minor, dark, like a grotesque dance of gremlins with its minor tonality and staccato, dancelike rhythms played by the rest of the band under the flourishing oboe. Then followed a moment of peace, achieved by a major chord, which quickly dissolved into the old tonality. This concerto has its merits in the level of technique and dynamics demonstrated on the oboe, but to me this piece just seems to drag on and on endlessly. More than half of the piece seems to be the oboe flourishing up and down with little or no modulation in dynamics, and the end came on suddenly, and was a relief. Chesapeake Bay March by SSG Adrian Hernandez, a march, opened up the second half of the concert. Appropriately, it was opened by the low brass, and the band quickly settled into an offbeat march, with the melody being played by the flutes lightly and articulately and the rhythm established by plodding quarter notes on the lower instruments. Again, the march sounded carnival-like and festive. It was played with marcato articulation at about a relative mezzo forte level. (This level in the concerto would have warranted a forte or maybe even a fortissimo.) There were several crescendos from mezzo forte to forte, and as the notes get higher, the band had a tendency to crescendo. After a sudden blast from the brass, the entire band backed down to a mezzo piano for a trio with trombones and flutes. The low brass then played the theme and crescendoed, building intensity. This intensity carried over to the percussion break, an unforeseen twist in the march. After the percussion break was a return to the carnival-like march with an interesting use of accidentals. As with the first march, the end came abruptly, without warning, but it was a typical loud, bombastic ending. Overall, I wasnt too impressed with this band, which Mr. Moore touted as one of the best bands in America. My opinion might have been influenced highly by the song choice; whereas I generally prefer romantic symphonies which usually hail from Europe, most of the songs here were composed right in the United States, and the music of the US is largely characterized by the music written by Sousa for the marching band and jazz music, neither of which appeal to me particularly. The concerto, which seemed to be the bands attempt at showing a more expressive, softer side, was at the other end of the expressive spectrum; while the concerto demonstrated the fact that the band knew how to play mysteriously and expressively rather than boisterously, it was almost at the other end of the spectrum, where it was almost difficult to enjoy. The Army Field Band itself showed great versatility in style, articulation, and dynamics, but I would have enjoyed the concert more if there were less mindless marches and more slow, expressive pieces that did not involve singing.