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#1

Favorite Instrumental Break

I like the 45-second instrumental in Wicked after the Wicked Witch of the East and before Wonderful, and the dance break during If You Could See Her from Cabaret.
#2

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

I love the samba break in "coffee break" from the revival of H2$.
"I'm an American, Damnit!!! And if it's three things I don't believe in, it's quitting and math."
#3

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

The trumpets entering on the catwalk in Can't Take My Eyes Off of You.
"I wish the stage were as narrow as the wire of a tightrope dancer, so that no incompetent would dare step upon it." Goethe
#4

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

Oh God, far too many to think of. I'll be back with answers, too many right now. I do love a good break, don't you?!
The rain we knew is a thing of the past -
deep-delving, dark, deliberate you would say
browsing on spire and bogland; but today
our sky-blue slates are steaming in the sun,
our yachts tinkling and dancing in the bay
like racehorses. We contemplate at last
shining windows, a future forbidden to no one.


Derek Mahon

"Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets."

Arthur Miller
#7

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

Answers!

I agree with the wicked one, it's a ballroom thing, and it's lovely, isn't it? I also love the dance bits in the title number of Hello, Dolly!, though there are good ones in other numbers there too.

Mary Poppins, Step in Time, and various other bits. Also Chicago, it's just such fun, and bloody hard to play if you're in the band! I've played that stuff, and God it wrecks your embouchure!
The rain we knew is a thing of the past -
deep-delving, dark, deliberate you would say
browsing on spire and bogland; but today
our sky-blue slates are steaming in the sun,
our yachts tinkling and dancing in the bay
like racehorses. We contemplate at last
shining windows, a future forbidden to no one.


Derek Mahon

"Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets."

Arthur Miller
#9

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

The trumpets entering on the catwalk in Can't Take My Eyes Off of You.

Aren't there trombones too?!! (I play the trombone, and we are sensitive about these things. :) )

Do long dance breaks count, or are we talking about shorter things?

The Music and the Mirror
Aggie Song from Whorehouse
#10

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

"I like the 45-second instrumental in Wicked after the Wicked Witch of the East and before Wonderful."

Is Wicked Witch Of The east on CD yet?

I like The Music and the Mirror.
#12

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

Right now, I can't get the instrumental break of Adela from Bernarda Alba out of my head. (Her green dress song)
I'm as jumpy as a virgin at a prison rodeo!
#13

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

Tough one, either the dance break in "All the Live Long Day" from "Working" OR most of "Chorus Line"
http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer
#14

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

The helicopter scene in Miss Saigon just fits the whole scene amazingly well in my opinion. re: Favorite Instrumental Break

(As long as it's only the instruments playing, it counts as 'instrumental break,' right?)
"Hey, you! You're the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber!" -Family Guy
#15

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

This is more of a dance break, but I love the instrumental dance arrangement in "Gaston" from BATB.
#16

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

Dreamgirls, "Party Party" right after "drive the people crazy!"
"How do you like THAT 'misanthropic panache,' Mr. Goldstone?" - PalJoey
#17

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

In Urinetown, there is this kick ass instrumental break in "Snuff That Girl"
#18

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

I adore the dance break in "And the Money Kept Rolling In", especially the giant pause in the original production; the transition music in between "Confrontation" and "Look Down" in Les Miz, and the short musical interlude after Sweeney kills Mrs. Lovett until Toby comes in.
#20

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

From 3 Michael Bennett shows:

ALL the instrumental/dance breaks in "Turkey Lurkey Time" from PROMISES, PROMISES, "Tick Tock" from COMPANY and of course..."The Music and the Mirror" from A CHORUS LINE.

All featuring the sensational Donna McKechnie, who STILL knows how to work an instrumental/dance break. re: Favorite Instrumental Break

re: Favorite Instrumental Break
re: Favorite Instrumental Break

Updated On: 3/16/07 at 10:43 AM

#21

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

IMO, the ultimate instrumental break is "Cool" from West Side Story. The tension that creates and the amazing orchestrations, gah!

Other great instrumental breaks include the dance portions of "America" from WSS, the romantic underscore in "Maria" when Tony just keeps speaking/singing her name over the orchestra, the beautiful break in One Hand, One Heart..

And if the dream/nightmare could count as a "break" for Somewhere, that would probably have to surpass even Cool, as it's absolutely amazing how Bernstein transforms the music perfectly, flowing perfectly from the beautiful dream-like music, to the nightmare-rumble music.

There's no pattern among my choices, I swear re: Favorite Instrumental Break

Other ones I really like are the dance/instrumental break in "Dance of the Robe" from Aida, the whistling in "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" from My Fair Lady,the break in "Close Every Door" from Joseph, the little break near the end of Music of the Night, the break in "Rent", the dance break in "76 Trombones" from The Music Man, and the brief break in "Memory."

And not sure if it counts as a "break," but I adore the brief clarinet solo in Once On This Island right before "A Part Of Us."
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
#22

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

Cool is good, but I found it one of the hardest things I've ever played in the concert band I'm in, my fingers were nearly falling off after it.

I also love the gap in 'The Money kept rolling in' when Che goes

No there's never been a star, no, not like Eva Peron -












Roll!...
The rain we knew is a thing of the past -
deep-delving, dark, deliberate you would say
browsing on spire and bogland; but today
our sky-blue slates are steaming in the sun,
our yachts tinkling and dancing in the bay
like racehorses. We contemplate at last
shining windows, a future forbidden to no one.


Derek Mahon

"Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets."

Arthur Miller
#23

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

"Cool is good, but I found it one of the hardest things I've ever played in the concert band I'm in, my fingers were nearly falling off after it. "

Amen!! That's part of what makes it so great!

If you played it for band, did you play the piece, Symphonic Dances from West Side Story? Either that or the actual score are pretty much equally hard. I played Symphonic Dances in 10th grade all-county, and I felt the same way about Cool. I played a much easier version of highlights of WSS in 7th grade all-county and Cool was just a tad easier. But I was so excited for the score when I got it to master Cool.

the saddest thing I couldn't imagine an existing song being harder than Cool...well, there was one in the WSS score no less--The Rumble!
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
#24

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

We're playing a medley with Cool, Tonight, Maria, finishing with Somewhere. It's nice. I play lead clarinet, by the way.
The rain we knew is a thing of the past -
deep-delving, dark, deliberate you would say
browsing on spire and bogland; but today
our sky-blue slates are steaming in the sun,
our yachts tinkling and dancing in the bay
like racehorses. We contemplate at last
shining windows, a future forbidden to no one.


Derek Mahon

"Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets."

Arthur Miller
#25

re: Favorite Instrumental Break

Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag- Chicago its kind of an instrumental break

Can't Take My Eyes off of You

THe Music and the Mirror

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