THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, February 25, 1970 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, February 26, 1970 I ... i cinema 'I AmCurious' Are,'you? By NEAL GABLER If you hear a kind of communal pant, chances are it emanates rom the Fifth Forum Theater. I Am Curious (Yellow) has arrived n Ann Arbor, and a horde was on hand to greet it. Among the irst nighters getting their jollies was very probably a contingent rom Ann Arbor's finest as well as the DA's office. It's comfort- ng to know that whenever those perverts across the sea try to uin our minds, Eugene Staudenmeir will be here to protect us. So much has been said about the film that its title has already ecome synonomous for all the nasty things those demented ,uropeans try to peddle in our Puritan land. Why, I'll bet there s a whole generation of youngsters who are convinced they'll get yphillis if they even look at a marquee bearing those now-famous iords. Because of all the hub-bub, it is pretty difficult to look at he movie, objectively. If this were any ordinary film - if ackie Kennedy hadn't gone to see it - what would I say? records Classics: A profusion of both good, bad 14ATIONAL -CFNFIAlCo"PpCn-TC'N NOW PLAYING I1WILL E 375 No.MAPLE RD 769130 TIMES MON-FRI_ 7 :10-9 :05 By R. A. PERRY I wish that I could recom- mend the new Beaux Arts Trio performances of Mozart's Six Trios for Piano, Violin and Cel- lo. (World Series PHC 2-022). The music combines the bouyant lyricism of fast movements with the languid serenity of andantes in a manner that keeps a listener constantly engaged. With trans- parent textures, the composi- tions are easy to follow and thus intellectual delight adds to the pleasures of sentiment. Though not one of the six trios equals Mozart's masterpiece, the String Trio K. 563, the fine works enevertheless have not re- ceived the attention on records that they warrant. The new World Series release cannot be whole-heartedly re- commended for several reasons. As a group, pianist Menahein Pressler,'violinist Daniel Guilet. and cellist Bernard Greenhouse provide middle-of-the-road read- ings that neither dare to give the music the heft it will bear nor strive to produce refine- ments of precision that can yield a valid performance on the oth- er end of the limits of aesthetic plausibility. They too often phrase perfunctorily, too seldom. sing with convincing feeling. Daniel Guilet, who was the leader of Toscanini's NBC Or- chestra from 1951-1957, would hardly seem the man to be in- secure in pitch, but he is just that on these records, and since his slightly ambiguous placing of notes does not seem aimed at the creation of expressive phras- ing, one can only mark him down. Cellist Bernard G r e e n- house is too little in evidence, and even if one conceives of the cellists presence here simply to add a richer foundation, Greenhouse still fails to emerge sufficiently. Another more objective disad- vantage of these recordings lies in the quality of recorded sound, which ranges from excellent to execrable. The first movement of K. 502 has been recorded with much presence and clarity; flip the disc over for the second and third movements and you discover that the sound quality is harsh, fuzzy and terribly dis- torted. These various deficits are a shame, for there is much lovely playing on these two records by pianist Menahem Pressler, pre- sently a Professor of Music at the University of Indiana. His touch is light but cutting where need be, and his phrasing sensi- tive and moving. He alone, how- ever,'rcannot overcome the over- all drab performances of these playful works. Another recording which fails because of the artist's lack of contact with the proper spirit of'the music is a disc that marks the U.S. debut of violinist Yosh- io Unno. (Columbia MS 9411). Mr. Unno. a product of the Tokyo University School of Music, appeared recently in Ann Arbor with the NHK Symphony, Japan's finest orchestra. In re- viewing that concert, at which Mr. Unno played Khachaturian's pot-boiler concerto, I remarked Well, for one thing, director Vilgot Sjomen, whose past credits include 491 and My Sister, My Love, doesn't seem to be able to make his point. He throws in a structure that is remarkably similar to Stanton Kaye's Brandy in the Wilderness: is is a movie partly about a'movie which happens to be the movie we're watching. If you didn't get that don't feel bad. It takes several readings and maybe several viewings. Sjomen, who appears ccasionally, bemoans the fact that his star and his love, Lena Nyman, isn't politicized. So he sets about to politicize the character she plays in the film within the film. The curious lady interviews common Swedes, Yevtushenko, Martin Luther King,. Jr., and Olaf Palme. "Is there a class structure in Sweden?" Somehow through her interviewing (Or is it through. the script?), she gets radicalized. It's a tactic the poli sci people and SDS might want to collaborate on. Survey research - the Great Radicalizer. But, as you probably know by now unless you've just gotten back from an extended stay in Tahiti, Lena is curious about more than politics. She meets Bone . . . For those of you who are salivating, I'll say a few words about the love-making. It's all here in lurid black and white with grunts, contortions and body move- ments. Unfortunately, Lena has, in her own words, "droopy breasts and a fat belly." That shouldn't bother most of you, I'm sure, but if you're looking for Ali McGraw, be forewarned, you'll be getting something closer to Shelley Winters. For afl the nudity and even taking Sjomen's past efforts into consideration, I Am Curious (Yellow) is not solely a sexploitation film. After all, any film that deals honestly with society, especially the sort of society we've been led to believe Sweden is, must say something about sex. The thing that disturbs me about the movie is not sex but politics. If it is supposed to be a movie about a confused lass in a confused world, as I believe it is, then I think ,the film is less than successful; it seems to be just as confused as everything else. The picture might have been better, and certain- ly more entertaining not to say inspiring, if it had stuck to sex. Sjomen does try to show us the craziness beneath the words we speak. Sabotage-Fraternization-Non Cooperation. Those words are used frequently, but the speakers are interchangeable. Social- ists, conservatives, advocates of non-violence, all come out sounding the same, andfor all her radical rhetoric, little Lena can't find an island of sanity to commit herself to. But society's confusion is neither startling nor original. And even though that's the primary message of the film, I Am Cur- ious (Yellow) tells us much more. Its real message is that some- thing must be terribly wrong with US when such a whimper can 'ignite such a bang. letters A Daily reviewer's campus-widet aimage that the violinist possessed an admirably prodigious technique but that he stood miles from the expressive spirit of the music. Well, ditto for this recording, on which Mr. Unno tackles Sar- asate's Zigeunerweisen, S a i n t- Sains' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, the two Beethoven Romances, and the sugar-floss tidbits of Massenet's Meditation and Tchaikovsky's "Melody" from Souvenir d'un lieu Cher. Such programming w o u 1d perhaps not be so bad if Mr. Unno had some' feeling for the flavor of gypsy music. It is in- credible to read that he stud- ied with Joseph Szigeti, the master par excellence of an ebul- lient, free, "digging" style. On this new recording, Mr. Unno simply does not have, for all of his enormous technical prowess, the necessary flavor of schmaltz in his tempurament. The following recordings I. found worthy of adding to my col- lection for the reasons briefly stated below. Many are familiar, through 78's or occasional Lp repressings, with the work of Serge Kous- sevitzky as conductor of the Boston Symphony; fewer, no doubt, are familiar with Kous- sevitzky as composer. Compos- ers Recordings, Inc., has just released an interec.ting disc that features Koussevitzky's Con- certo for Double Bass and Or- chestra. (CRI SD 248) The first few bars seem to promise a satire on Beethoven's Eroica,. and indeed the concerto hardly explores the avant-garde prem- ises available in 1902, the year of its composition. Still, given its conservative stance, the work is sufficiently melodic, ruminating, and dra- matic to hold attention; Kous- sevitzky, who began his career as a bass player, writes con- vincingly for the instrument, though less praise can be laid upon his orchestration, which is very thin in spots. Bass soloist on the CRI recording is Gary Karr, who, as all 23 living en- thusiass of that instrument will tell you, is the reigning bass virtuoso. This CRI recording also offers the only present re- cording in Schwann of Ernest Bloch's Sinfonia Breve. Enthusiasts of -Renaissance music are more numerous, and' thus the "Seraphim Guide to Renaissance Music," a three disc set on the budget Seraphim label, should sell well. It should also sell well because the per- formances of the Syntagma Musicum of Amsterdam are thoroughly excellent; using au- thentic ancient instruments and singing in Latin, French, Ital- ian, Spanish, Dutch, etc., the en- semble traverse five centuries of vocal and instrumental, secular and religious music The instru- ments provide fascinating sounds, i.e., a gemshorn, a flute made from the horn of an ibex is used to render a work by Al- fonso el Sabio, 1230-1284. Several exciting dances from the Ital- ian trecento are presented by shawm and percussion ensem- bles. This three-record set, which is excellently recorded and anno- tated, was originally available only as an expensive Electrola import; at its budget price, this winner of both a Grand Prix du Disque and the Edison Award represents an extraordinary buy. Shostakovich's popular F i f t h Symphony has received m o r e propulsive and caustic perform- ances of its allegretto and al- legro movements, but seldom has the largo ever received such gorgeous, full-bodied string sound as the Philadelphia Or- chestra give it on Columbia MS 7279. Connoisseur Society has re- leased (CS 2012) the longest single raga ever recorded; A 11 Akbar Khan, sarodist, performs The Rag Kanara Prakaar, a n evening raga eight minutes in duration, and manages to ap- proximate more closely the cu- mulative effect of performances that in India run all night. 4- BEN KADISH PETER YATES JONMORTIMETR P. RYN uJONES c; S C,.n,, hl , 1*,CE F * RI rrnr e~ ~ ONE SHOW ONLY TONIGHT AT 7:20 DIAL 8-6415 DUSTiI HOFFMAN MVIA FARROW r V " mot \ VAIJVY, ' music A trip into Beethoven 3020 Washtenaw, Ph. 434-1782 Between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor NOW SHOWING Nominated for Seven ACADEMY AWARDS includinq " Best Picture " Best Song SHOWTIMES Wed., Sat., Sun.-5-7-9 Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.-7-9 201h CENTURY.FOX PRESENTS BitCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID I The Derry W dow _ __ _ _ _ . _ . ._ _ . _ _ I By JIM PETERS ,There were, I suppose, many factors which influenced the choice of the four quartets per- formed by the Stanley Quartet to celebrate the Beethoven year; but of the four, the two quartets given in recital last night at Rackham supplied the best.ma- terial, displaying the skill of the performers and delineating the identity of the composer. The Quartet in F minor, opus 95 contrasted well with the fol- lowing piece on both levels. It is a brief, furious excursion into Beethoven's harmonic talents, four rapid movements of voice tension. If it were a matter of purely elucidating the counter- point of the sections, the Stan- ley Quartet's performance would have been more enjoyable. But here the sustained motion of' the quartet, the sharp contrast of motifs, must be retained throughout the entire piece. Certainly the opening allegro was played with out con brio gusto, as intonation troubles plagued the first violin. Dyna- mics, however, were well in hand with sharp balance emphasizing the Juxtaposed ideas. In the next movement the brilliant sec- ond violin seemed more sure of its contrapuntal prowess, and it was not until the hesitant bridge to the third that the Quartet had fully mobilized its potential. After their equivocation of the beginning, the players' * energy and enthusiasm began to match the power of the quar- tet. The forzando-piano con- trasts of the central section, whirring towards the finale, at last seemed real; and the fury of the opening relented only for the introvertive trio. With the fourth movement's return to F minor came the tenseness that had been merely hinted at previously. In the ma- jor coda the four musicians re- solved all their difficulties, con- tributing sure craftsmanship to the music's intensity which sud- Oenly just stops. The more broadly designed B-flat Major Quartet from Beethoven's opus 130 was excel- lent. Perhaps, the fuller develop- ment of lines present in this quartet allowed for more de- liberate execution; perhaps, the group itself was more comfort- able in this music. The quartet's tight ensemble complemented their expansive interpretation, each melody set gem-like into the fabric of the piece; and the steady rise of emotion, begun even in the ada-, gio ma non troppo, proved their sensitivity. The second and third move- ments were the most vibrant. Bright rhythms moved through the presto with sotto-voce wiz- ardry only to be examined more closely in the andante where instrumental motion carried the conversation expressively. Although the alla d a n z a tedesca is meant more as an in- termission between slow move. ments, the quartet used it as a sympathetic transition to the langorous cavatina, signalling contemplation before the mas- sive Grosse Fuge which was meant to follow. The peripatetic rondo which superceeded the Fuge as sixth movement is a masterful, if not equally weightyhreplacement. The playing here suggested monolithic strength; and yet, each voice was precise, building through power, not with it. Stopping after only four quar- tets is probably a difficult thing for the Stanley Quartet to do. They have given us their Beet- hoven; and, perhaps, last night there were some glimpses into who that cranky German really was. Admission $3.00 Ticket Information 764-6118 BOX OFFICE HOURS: FEB. 23-26, 12:30-5 P.M.; FEB. 27-28, MAR. 2, 3, 12:30-8 P.M. (CLOSED SUNDAY, MARCH 1) School of Music and Deportment of Art 0 University of Michigan I PANAVISION® COLOR BY DELUXE g s For MATURE Audiences We Need You I Operetta by Franz Lehar Conductor: JOSEF BLATT Stajge Direction: RALPH HERBERT FEBRUARY 27 and 28 ARCH. 2 and 3 Mendelssohn Theatre 8 P.M. Kati}:" ; r'r,^ T '.r... KR?::rr,'r{^::r:Sr.4 Jr'S};^'"::ri. L.} ti:;:.rA io'L.nvx.."Jv:".B CAA .ti" :,".yo{ "rri:"}J:sw: .'vrr.}tfi?: Sr w x .it 1 f ' ...- . r Center for East European Studies and Department of Anthropology THURSDAY, FEB. 26-4:30 P.M. JEAN POUILLON -Anthropologist & Editor of Les Temps Moderne "Sartre et Levi-Strauss" in French, no translation WEST CONFERENCE ROOM, RACKHAM To the Editor: I am not one to make a habit of writing to newspapers but in this case the. circumstances dic- tate the necessity of some form of reaction. I am refering to your insipid and odious com- ments about the concert on Sa- turday night. "Cannonball Ad- derly was nothing special, just 'good' " according to y o u r critic who feigned some degree of musical sophistication. I have no idea of the state of mind he was in while attend- ing the concert. Perhaps that was his problem. He attended it, he didn't participate. Perhaps- he sat too far back in the audi- torium. Maybe if he had seen the performers faces, the joy and the tension, he might have viewed it differently. I myself have never been so moved by any performance as I was Saturday night. All this aside though, the is- sue still remains: why are re- views in the Daily so cynical? You view things through the eyes of a pseudo-sophisticate. and pass off the vision as the The Michigan Daily, edited and man- aged by students at the University of Michigan. News phone: 764-0552. Second Class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Mich- igan, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104, Published daily Tues- day through Sunday morning Univer- sity year. Subscription rates: $10 by carrier, $10 by mail. Summer Session published Tuesday through Saturday morning. Subscrip- tion rates: $3.00 by carrier, $3.00 by mail. "truth." Perhaps your goals are being attained however. Your, reviews are read and discussed by all and they are quickly be- coming a campus wide stand- ard for judgment; if the Daily doesn't like it, it is probably worth seeing. Ken Jacobs To the Editor: I just finished reading your review of my play Esperanza. I felt that most of your crit- icisms were quite justified and the only thing that really dis- turbed me is that you seemed to be treating the play as a drama. That was never my in- tention in writing it. I consider it a comedy with many elements of pure farce. I don't know if this would have made any difference in you review, but, just in case there was any misunderstanding on this point, I wanted to clear it up. Susan J. Shaw for individual entertainment and group skits we need : actors, actresses, technical designers singers, dancers, magicians bands anything YOU consider a talent Join the FRIARS in making M ich igrasCarnival I~ . I call 668-7445 or 761 -8685 -- --- --77 - - --------- ENDING TONIGHT PETER USTINOV IN "VIVA MAX" - FRIDAY - A FRANKOVICH PAODUCTIoN=""" uncaerou on t'r111A U BaE Osfl. Program information 662-6264 HELD OVER 2nd BIG WEEK! CHARLIE. BUBBLES I I t, Directed by ALBERT FINNEY Starring: ALBERT FINNEY, LIZA MINELLI FRIDAY and SATURDAY, FEB. 27 & 28 Aud. A, Angell Hall, 7 & 9:30 P.M. .75c Next Week: BONNIE AND CLYDE SHOWS AT: 1:00-3:00-5:00-7:00 & 9:00 P.M. DICK CRUM I Teacher:j BALKAN FOLK DANCES BARBOUR GYM Fri., February 27, 8-12-Elementary and Intermediate Sat., February 28, 1:30-5-Intermediate and Advanced Sat., February 28, 8-12-Review and Party $1.00 per session, or $2.00 for all three } ? i fl{ \ ti j -:. ::$: ..::: .i 7TDAYS A WEEK 4820042 5 P.M.-2 A.M. FOOT-LONG HOME BAKED BUN - HAM, SALAMI, LET- CUL. TI i A"F ir TOM ATO ITAI IAN irucc t WITu 01I I VenCerem { DEB DUNFELD and TOM LEE have F returned to Ann Arbor from 2 -month stay Xk ~~l71. CUBA w .". r :