A few weeks ago I saw the Kronos Quartet in concert morphed with a film about them.
The performance was mostly the film but they also did a fair amount of playing. The last piece they played was "Orange Blossom Special" by Ervin T. Rouse, thrilling virtuosic fiddle jam. I was interested in hearing a more traditional bluegrass-based performance of the song and found this live performance by the Steep Canyon Rangers.
Diva: fiddle solo
Mensch: the rest of the band
The fiddle gets all the glory, justifiably so. But the fiddle wouldn't have a fraction of the impact without the band backing him up. They play the same thing over and over but I imagine there's more variation there than we realize. Actually this piece reminds me, of all things, of "Bolero." The backup stays static to give greater prominence to the solo, and in both pieces it's a seismic thrill when the harmonic pattern finally changes.
One more note: the fiddle player, Nicky Sanders, is freaking awesome. I roll my eyes at some of his musical references. I say you can use either the theme from The Simpsons or the theme from The Flintstones. You may not use both.
Comments