Oh, boy, am I excited about this one. Thanks to Ciarra (fellow ABEL student) for alerting me to this fantastic arrangement of Bill Whelan's Riverdance. Originally written as an interval piece for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, Riverdance was an accompaniment to a display of Irish dancing. Within the year the piece morphed into a full-fledged stage production and a single that topped the Irish charts for 18 weeks. In 2012, Whelan composed a symphonic suite version with music from the show.
To listen to the finale of the symphonic suite, click here.
This arrangement of "Riverdance" is performed by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. While they are assisted by percussion instruments, I can't ignore the remarkable flexibility and technique that all the brass players demonstrate. With flying melodies written for strings that jump in range quickly and often, this piece is no easy feat. Plus, who isn't energized by the pounding rhythms of traditional Irish music?
Is the piece truly Better in Brass? That's for you to decide.
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