Greetings, I just want to pass a comment on the Wagner 'Centennial
March'. Tastes are highly personal, so take this with a grain of salt.
I heard a recording of the piece three or four years ago (either on NPR
or CBC) and wholeheartedly agreed with the host's comment that it was a
'potboiler' (hey! even the 'master' had to eat). In fact, the quality
of the work resulted in some embarrassment to the selection committee
('we's been robbed!'), especially since the cost was so high.
In a nutshell, the piece has one short theme which is played furiously
and bombastically over and over with a minimum of thematic development.
It gets very tiresome after a couple of minutes, then things go downhill
from there. But that's just my humble opinion.
Best wishes,
Robert Pelletier
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