‘Tis the season for me to be very busy rehearsing and performing holiday concerts, so I apologize for the lack of posts lately. To tide you over until I can find some time for more original content, here is a neat video recording by pianist John Eidsvoog performing his arrangement of Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride – in 7/8 meter. Very clever and well performed.
Leroy Anderson originally got the idea for this composition during a brutally hot summer in 1946. After its premier recording in 1949 by the Boston Pops Orchestra it has become a staple of holiday music in the U.S. In fact, I just conducting an arrangement of this piece with the Smoky Mountain Brass Band last night. By the end of this month I figured out that I will have performed this piece 7 times (once with the Land of the Sky Symphonic Band, three times with the Smoky Mountain Brass Band, twice with the Asheville Jazz Orchestra, and once with the Owen Middle School 8th grade band).
Tip of the hat to James P. to finding this video.
