Let's talk football - I'll delete it later!

[barry guerrero]

I'm thrilled for Payton Manning - what a class act! But what happened to the Panthers - the entire team failed to show up!  Were they suffering from some kind of victory disease?

[ChrisH]

Von Miller showed up. That's what happened.

I was floored when Cam stopped going after the fumble in the 4th. That was crazy.

[barry guerrero]

The theatricality of it all makes me wonder if all those accusations about the Super Bowl being rigged might have some merit to them. But with the media having so much access to the participants, I don't see how they could possibly keep a lid on it, if that were indeed the case. And if it were true, that would mean that Cam Newton is as great an actor as he is a quarterback. I would give him the MVP AND a Tony award. No, I just don't how that could possibly be. I'll take your explanation: Von Miller ran them over.

.   .  sure makes you wonder why the Panthers didn't double or triple team him. Don't they have a back who can do some blocking?

[AZContrabassoon]

Well, since we're talking football...

About 20 years ago I was at a state football playoff game. One of the high school bands was on the field ready to begin the halftime show. When they started, my ears perked up. What is this? Can they really be playing that? Well - it was an arrangement of the finale of the Mahler 7th. Drastically cut, naturally. Did the arranger have no shame? And what about the band director? What I really felt bad about was that these 150 kids in band would come away from this experience hating Mahler, at least the 7th, based on this miserable arrangement. See -- Mahler and football do have a connection.

[waderice]

Well, since we're talking football...

About 20 years ago I was at a state football playoff game. One of the high school bands was on the field ready to begin the halftime show. When they started, my ears perked up. What is this? Can they really be playing that? Well - it was an arrangement of the finale of the Mahler 7th. Drastically cut, naturally. Did the arranger have no shame? And what about the band director? What I really felt bad about was that these 150 kids in band would come away from this experience hating Mahler, at least the 7th, based on this miserable arrangement. See -- Mahler and football do have a connection.

If Mahler can stand a chance being played at halftime during a state football playoff game, why not during the halftime of the Super Bowl?  Sure beats Beyoncé and Bruno Mars!  After all, they did have Rene Fleming sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl a couple of years ago!

Wade

P.S. - Keep this thread!  If we can get enough people to see this, maybe they'll clamor for Mahler during Super Bowl halftime!  You never know!

[barry guerrero]

Yes, why not Mahler 8! M8 was performed as part of the summer olympics in Australia (De Waart) and - according to Wikipedia - there was a performance of M8 at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro that had a million people in attendance, but that tid-bit has been deleted from the Wikipedia entry on Mahler 8 (probably can't be verified).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._8_(Mahler)

Anyway, since halftime is supposed to be just 30 minutes (probably longer at the Superbowl), they could do Part I, then cut to "blicket auf" (the second tenor solo) in Part II, ending with "alles vergaengliche". Bring an 80" Paiste for the ending.

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

Acutally, here's the gong you need at the Superbowl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38g27TxLHYc

[waderice]

My God!  Though not the proper note for either gong, the decay rate will go beyond the last note of the symphony!  It would take two or three people to dampen it, and several for the largest one!

If some last minute snafu were to happen where the star performer were to bail out for the Super Bowl halftime, they can always take Dudamel's M8 DVD and play it!

Wade

[barry guerrero]

Remember, the tam-tam is doubled by a pair of cymbals (and in my opinion, it should switched to suspended cymbals for reasons I won't go into now). I think a big and dark sounding tam-tam is exactly what you need to counterbalance those cymbals. It needs to be timed so that the cymbals actually strike a tiny fraction AFTER the tam-tam. Otherwise, the bright sound of the cymbals often times covers the darker sound of the gong. Listen to how it's done on the Markus Stenz M8 - they get the effect just right!