An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
HomeMultimediaNewsArticle Display

The USAFE Band entertains the citizens of Kaiserslautern

  • Published
  • By SSGT Michael Mannella
  • USAFE Band/PAB
12/18/2012 --  DIE RHEINPFALZ, 17 December 2012, Regional Culture Page - Translation by Kilian Bluemlein, 86 AW/PA

United States Air Forces in Europe Band's Concert in Fruchthalle
By Reiner Henn

Up and down this country many Christmas concerts are sounding, circling around the same recurring treasure of Christmas and Advent carols "every year." USAFE's concert, represented by the USAFE Band, which took place Friday in Fruchthalle, showed very impressively how traditional contents can be filled with innovative ideas.

"A Winter Prelude", the offbeat of the concert, already showed the "advance of the American concert band, which is actually more of a symphonically organized wind section orchestra with an expanded instrumentation: arrangers like Larry MacTaggert or Tim McMillen have newly arranged melodic patterns with the classic "Santa Claus is coming to Town": this was done either as a pasticcio and potpourri in a kind of collage with smooth transition and a dense carpet of sounds between chorals which were used fragmentarily; or it was achieved as a pepped-up re-interpretation which was hardly to be recognized after the rejuvenation in style and sound.

In a very pulsing and jazzy version in the big band sound Santa Claus' old beard was - symbolically - cut off and showed a swinging entertainer underneath.
Even with folk songs like the Hebrew "Hava Nagila" the courageous transcripts only get a small melodious focus; but then the piece is completely reorchestrated; with new rhythms, and melodic material.  These changes help the arrangement to avoid sounding like an expanded piano reduction - as is often done in this country - but like a symphonically processed score.  "Jesus, what a wonderful child" was, maybe, the most interesting model for such a re-interpretation which included improvising elements.

When the orchestra stays with classic-symphonic performances - like the concert fantasy "Deck the festive Halls" - it wins over the audience again and again with  its sophisticated performance; with attention to the smallest detail and by the wonderful dynamic balancing and the subtle shading of sounds.  The band's tenor, Kenneth Maxwell, performed an aria by Giuseppe Verdi on the wings of his captivatingly beautiful singing. 

"Singing unites" - the Rhineland-Palatinate International Choir directed by Patrick Casey is promoting this praiseworthy idea of musical bridge building: for 25 years a mixed chorus of all ages has been based on a human entity comprising of Americans, Germans and many other nations. The choir was a nice addition for the band's final 2 selections.  The sounds of the USAFE Band left the citizens of Kaiserslautern with an incredible feeling of hope for a better tomorrow.  What a fantastic way to celebrate the holiday season!