We played Blue Shades this year in the Lafayette High symphonic band at Lafayette, LA. We have the most awesome clarinet player that can play the solo better than anyone I`ve ever heard. I`ve got nothing bad to say about this piece (except maybe that if you play 3rd trumpet you won`t really be playing that much) and it`s so much fun to play.

I am only in 9th grade and we are playing this song for our concert and it sounds really good.

I am a freshman and i am in my high school`s wind ensemble. Im 3rd clarinet. this piece was difficult at first but i got the hang of it. I really wanted the solo but they gave it to a senior. Ticheli is the best!

i played this song two years ago when i was a sophomore (piccolo). if you guys like blue shades so much ask your directors if you can play An American Elegy (junior and senior year), Amazing Grace, Postcard (junior year), Shenandoah (freshman year i think), or Vesuvius (junior year). I don`t really like Vesuvius as much as the others, Amazing Grace and An
American Elegy will make you cry every time. The tension gives a heart-wrenching tone thats, well... amazing.

I have an excellent live recording of this piece by the Texas Tech University band. I`m not sure when it was recorded, but it`s one of the best performances I`ve heard and probably the best clarinet soloist I`ve heard. I might be able to post it up some where if anyone is interested in hearing it.

Cosmo,

I already posted a link in the second page of this thread, which has a really good sounding recording of Blue Shades. That particular recording was done by the Michigan State University Wind Symphony, just so you know.

Thomas

I know.

I just thought others might be interested in hearing another performance... lord knows I have about three different recordings of all my favorite classical works. Plus, I find live performances tend to have a lot more fire even if they`re not the cleanest in technique.

Annnd... if anyone IS interested... you can download the TTU recording here:

http://www.savefile.com/files/5191932

Good point. I think I will download that Texas Tech recording, and see what you mean. I`ll tell you what I think when I hear it.

Thomas

that recording is pretty good. there`s a few wrong notes in the solo though.

Yeah. You can tell the person is nervous, and it also sounds like there`s a little improv going on, but I`m not sure. Very nice sound, though. My favorite part of that recording is the dirty section right before the solo. Rawr.

Hello, just thought i`d say a few words. I`m in a band for highschool students (grade 10-12) at the university here. we`re playing top level stuff like Armenian Dances Part 1 by Alfred Reed (who i have met and think is a hillarious guy), Suite of old american dances, Four Scottish Dances, and Blue Shades.

wow... blue shades is an amazing song. we only have 3 months of rehearsals before out final concerto and we have to get it perfect or we scrap the song. luckily we were very capable of playing blue shades and out clarinet players worked their butts off to make it sound AMAZING! lol anyways just thought i`d say a few words... a few... many words about blue shades.

i was just looking at this piece, already having played it too, its a grade 4 1/2, just looked at it at manhatten beach music

I`ve played this in several honors bands. It`s a grade 5 I think. A good clarinetist should be able to handle it. It`s awesome piece. Thumbs up to Frank Ticheli.

My school Marching band is doing this song as our closer. Its not that good yet but OMG it will be