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Pikes Peak Ringers under the direction of Kevin McChesney
By Dean | August 10, 2008
Paul: Fifteen ringers make up Pikes Peak Ringers ringing on 7 octaves of handbells.
Dean: First song is Canticle by Arnold Sherman. First impressions of the group are mixed. I see very big arm movements. Many of the members of the group look like they are having a good time. This is a great piece for an opener. It felt a little on the slow side.
Paul: Canticle by Arnold Sherman opens this program with a flourish. All the ringers are smiling.
Dean: Next up on the program is Allegro Giocosso by G.F. Handel transcribed by Kevin McChesney. With this piece they pick up the pace a little. They are playing 7 octaves of Schulmerich handbells with 15 ringers. I am looking for a little dynamic contrast. This piece is played with little or no change in volume. Classical music is more fun to play then it is to listen to. For those who are programming classical music into their programs, you need to do a little extra with the dynamics and tempos to keep the interest of the audience.
Paul: Allegro Giocoso comes from Handel’s “Water Music” and it is arranged by Kevin McChesney. Music from the classical period really takes a preciseness to the playing which makes it fun and challenging to play. This group is doing an adequate job of playing the difficult quick melodic lines.
Dean: The third piece Offertory by Domenico Zipoli arranged by Kevin McChesney was performed by the Forte Quartet. The really were working hard to get all the notes. Some of the runs were a little rough. Again this was a classical piece played on handbells.
Paul: The next song is played by a quartet from the group called “Forte”. This is another song from the classical period written by the lesser known composer Domenico Zipoli. The technical proficiency of this group is really top notch. The running melodic lines in the lower battery notes are hard to accomplish and this group did them without breaking a sweat.
Dean: The fourth piece is Be Still My Soul arranged by Lorie Line, handbell setting by Kevin McChesney with Susam Hedgpeth on Piano. Good balance between the bells and the piano. They just picked up their bells in a wave. Interesting choreography. This is the first song where the soft is soft enough I needed to really listen to hear it. Wonderful. They have worked hard on their choreography. I find it a little distracting.
Paul: An arrangement of a song by Lorie Line for handbells and piano. This group really moves together when playing. All of the motions of the bells are synchronized which makes for a striking presentation. Even the lifting of the bells of the tables has been carefully choreographed. It’s all very showy and, I found myself watching more than listening to the music.
Dean: The fifth piece is Lord of the Dance, a shaker tune, adapted by Sydney Carter, arranged by Kevin McChesney. Once again, I am distracted by the choreography.
Paul: A very nice arrangement of this song which again has lots of choreographed movements.
Dean: The sixth piece is Carol of the Bells arranged by Lorie Line, handbell setting by Kevin McChesney. I love the dynamic contrast with the malleted bass bells. They are making strange noises. When the song gets loud and the bass ringers are ringing their bells, they are not as loud as when they are malleting them. Other then the yelping in the middle, this is very similar to a lot of other arrangements of this piece. At the end of this piece, they are rearranging the stage and taking a short break.
Paul: It’s Dean’s favorite song! This arrangement is by Lori Line arranged for handbells by Kevin McChesney. Incredible dynamics in this piece that start in the bass. The middle section becomes syncopated and the ringers start yelping like they are in a Mariachi band because it has that flavor of Latin music. The treble bells play low towards the table and then bring the bells up all at the same time giving the sound a tower bell like crescendo.
Dean: The seventh song is Carillon by Kevin McChesney. This is being performed by Forte. One ringer is playing two bell trees. There are two standing behind the table and one out front. This was a very nice piece for a quartet.
Paul: Here is another selection from Forte, the quartet of Pike’s Peak Ringers. This time they have also included a bell tree. I have seen more bell trees at this event then I have ever in my life of handbells. This song is a bell tree solo accompanied by 3 other handbell ringers, one of which is standing in front of the table 4-in-handing. The ending visual of arms over head circling down was very effective.
Dean: The eighth song is Book of Days by Enya and Nicky Ryan, arranged by Kevin McChesney. As I was looking over the concert program, I was waiting to hear this piece and one other later in the program. If you have been following the podcast for a while, you know I am a fan of new age music. I love the bass part on this piece. Especially with the lower 7th octave. Once again, I am distracted by the choreography. I think I need to close my eyes and listen.
Paul: The next song is unpublished arrangement of an Enya song.
Dean: The ninth piece on the program is Celtic Prayer by Julie Turner and Jefferey A. Hall. Closing my eyes for this one. It starts in the trebles. Nice quiet opening with the melody up high. They are bringing out the melody even when it drops into the battery. It could use a little more bass. There are some really cool little runs in the treble. Interesting use of marts. They transition into a chime part and then back out to bells. Very soft malleted chord at the end. Beautiful music.
Paul: Julie Turner and Jeffery Hall composed this next song. It beings with a gentle Celtic melody which is very nice and well crafted. The B-section of the song speeds up and introduces a dance-like feel with grace notes in the typical Irish style. Now chimes are used as a third section begins in a very hymn-like setting. I am impressed with the crafting of this song by a yet unknown composer. At the end it returns to the A-section Celtic melody to finish the piece with a gentle chord malleted in the air.
Dean: The tenth piece on the program is In Christ Alone by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, arranged by Patricia Cota. Very soft bass mallets in the beginning, with a soft bell line above. The music is now building. The malleted bass is a little overpowering the treble bells. There was an eight note run in the middle that was amazing. This was a fun piece to listen to.
Paul: Song begins with a statement of the melody as if played from a far. Bass bells malleted on the table very softly with a gentle but driving rhythm. Now the melody moves to the Battery bells as the driving rhythm continues in the bass and the trebles move to a gentle color part malleted in the air. Third statement of the melody grows a bit in volume and returns to the treble bells. Fourth melodic statement is loud and punctuated with mart-lifts in the upper battery/lower trebles. A disappointing ending with a shake-mart.
Dean: There is an addition to the program. An Irish Blessing by Lorie Line. There will be a special guest. The choir starts out singing. After the first verse, the piano starts playing. The special guest is Debbie Rice. She is singing with the bells and piano in the back ground. This is the softest I have heard them play.
Paul: Yet another Lori Line arrangement by Kevin McChesney begins with the ringers singing the traditional “Irish Blessing” in 4 parts. The piano takes up the music as the singers stop and then we see Debbie Rice step up to the microphone to once again wow us with her talents! Beautifully done.
Dean: The eleventh piece on the program is Orinoco Flow(Sail Away) by Enya and Nicky Ryan, arranged by Kevin McChesney. I am very excited to hear this. I have always wondered what Enya’s music would be like on handbells. Closing my eyes again. I really like the chimes in the treble part. I really don’t know what to say about this piece. I think it could work, but this was not the performance I was hoping for.
Paul: It looks like they have an extra 3-octave set of bells in addition to the 7-octaves on the tables. Kevin walks over and begins to play the low 2’s on this song. It’s a very repetitive song, but it does work well on handbells.
Dean: The last piece is Ring of Fire – Movement 3 from Concerto for Handbell Choir and Orchestra by Kevin McChesney. Piano is being played by Susan Hedgpeth and Bonnie Linder. The piece starts out very loud and fast. Cool use of marts. I can see why they saved this piece for the closing number. There are a variety of techniques being used that add a lot of color to this piece.
Paul: Tonight instead of an orchestra, they will be using a piano with 4 hands. This song alternates between 4/4 and 7/8 and I’m a sucker for anything in mixed meters. The handbells are treated like the solo instrument in this Concert. I would really like to hear the entire work with an orchestra.
Dean: My overall impression is that this group needs to concentrate more on their music and less on the choreography. The music suffered when the choreography became the focus of my attention. When they just played the music, they were much better.
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