The international military music festival “Spasskaya Tower” is opening today in Moscow. Among its participants who have arrived from 29 countries, the Top Secret Drum Corps is probably the most numerous group. Their producer Erik Julliard relates in his interview to the Russkiy Mir portal why the Swiss prefer drumming and beer and why he thinks their show is so popular.
– Mr. Julliard, your band has been to half of the world – China, South Africa, the US, Australia, throughout the EU – and won at the Edinburgh Tattoo. Have you come to Russia just for the sake of adding to your list?
– No, by no means: the level of Spasskaya Tower is so high that missing such an event would be imprudent. For here your own level and the level of your colleagues is really tested, given that the honored guard bands of heads of state and leading field bands flock here from all over the world. And then thanks to TV shows and the Internet, the festival will be seen by more than 100 million people. You don’t want to miss such an occasion. Moreover since September 1, our canton Basel Stadt is on a visit to Moscow and this is a happy coincidence.
– Is it true that people from all over Europe come to your shows as they would come to a disco club?
– We’ve long been striving for such acclaim. In the 1990’s, when our field band was formed, we were treated as just another brass band. This was the wrong attitude. While our music is pivoted on the drum drills going back to militaristic medieval Swiss soldiers, we tried to show from the very start that the drumming art was not for museums. This is really a blast. I think our music is so gripping and popular because in our interpretation it sounds much more upbeat and playful compared to the traditional marches played in Basel. Our tunes are not as belligerent and pompous as those of our ancestors. There is a lot of fun and show in our performances – we stage drummer’s ‘duels’, dance with drums, practice drumstick juggling, explode flagpoles and make fun with spectators to disco rhythms. For instance, we rearrange ABBA tunes that they might sound like a march or like a lyrical ‘boogie-woogie. Smiles are seen on people’s faces as they suddenly recognize their favorite tunes.
– I can’t believe there are more than 3,000 musicians in your Corps. How on earth is it possible to take them all on a tour?
– We cannot take all, you’re right, but we’ve still brought one thousand musicians to Moscow. And during the medieval carnival Fasnacht in Basel we divide 3,000 musicians into 22 groups and they take turns playing at the urban carnival parade. During this time our band fills 13,000 hotel rooms in Basel’s suburbs, rather than in the inner city. More often we book family hotels or stay at private homes whose hosts are familiar with our shows and appreciate them. Sometimes they bring entire families and sometimes even several generations to our concerts. During the carnival we eat more than 13,000 lunches. We are helped at least by 480 volunteers who play up to 38,000 hours during the show in total.
– And why is “fifteen” your favorite figure?
– Fifteen thousand liters of beer are brewed for the participants of Fasnacht Carnival and served cool. You know, this is also a feast for beer gourmets.
– Does this mean that the band goes on a spree at carnivals?
– How could you think of that? We certainly love beer but only after the show. Our musicians are people of different walks of life – bankers, students, physicians, factory workers, drivers and even pilots, but they do not work as professional musicians. These people sacrifice their every spare minute and much effort to play in the band and tour the world. Therefore they always maintain their best professional and physical shape as they perform, and if anyone is too fond of beer or stronger beverages he’ll always be replaced by another volunteer. There is a waiting list of volunteers eager to play with our orchestra.
– Why is your corps ‘secret’?
– When Top Secret was formed in 1990, this was a small group of young talented drummers. The boys ardent to restore the rich traditions of medieval drum music which had largely been forgotten or lost and was a secret to modern-day people of Switzerland. So we started disclosing those secrets and grew to the size of a large field band. And what I personally treasure a lot is that Top Secret Drum Corps is also a way of thinking and life. All its participants have important professional aspirations and achievements and yet find time in their tough schedules and enough strength to serve the cause of music as they are eager to preserve the traditions of our grandfathers and great grandfathers, our roots.
– Spasskaya Tower is one among many other military music festivals. Are you not embarrassed at the growing popularity of military music?
– I took note of the fact that owing to the show of military bands, many people have changed their attitude to military music. They no longer see belligerence in these tunes, but rather the diversity of national traditions. Perhaps it’s better to compete in this way at the Kremlin walls in Moscow, or in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, or in Basel at the Town Hall?
Vladimir Emelyanenko
