[DOWNLOAD] March "Beyond the Critical Point"

This concert march was inspired by Japan's victory in the team ski jumping competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Since its release, it has been performed by many schools and groups as one of the test pieces for 1999 All Japan Band Competition. Even after its role as a test piece ended, it has been performed throughout the country.
In the Japanese title, the word "K point" in the title of the piece has been changed from the original word and its meaning. It used to be called "K-point," an acronym for the German word "Kritisch Punkt," which means the "extreme point" in ski jumping where it is dangerous to jump any further. However, with the improvement of competition techniques and equipment, the flying distance has increased, and "over the K point" can no longer be considered a big jump beyond the extreme point. The "K point" now refers to the "Konstruktionspunkt," which is the design point for the flight distance of a jump tower. Although the meaning of "K point" has changed with the times, the fact remains that the athletes continue to challenge themselves to go farther, and this piece was composed to honor their courage.
In performing this piece, please be careful not to clutter up the detailed rhythms and articulations, but to fully express the sense of dynamism and speed of the piece.
In addition to the double reed instruments and double basses, which were originally treated as options, glockenspiel is now considered optional for this publication.

(Shin'ya Takahashi)