THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednesday, March 4, 1970 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednesday, March 4, 1970 records cinema= I Handel By R. A. PERRY Following upon their success with Handel's Theodora, Van- guard has now released the first recorded performance of Han- del's last oratoria, Jephtha. Written in a span of eight months, with a break of three months due to Handel's failing eyesight and health, and re- ceiving its first performance in 1752, Jephtha is based very, loosely upon Chapter XI of Judges, with new dramatis per- sonae added and lines of Mil- ton, Pope and others inserted by the librettist Rev. Thomas Mor- ell. Jephtha, illegitimate and exiled, returns to lead the Is- raelites in victory over the hos- tile Ammonites. Before going to battle, Jephtha, trying to quell his own vainglory ("my crested helm to reach the skies"), promises to sacrifice to God the first person he sees upon a triumphant return. Need- less to say, the first to meet his eye is his most beloved (virgin) daughter, Iphis. Despite promotional adver- tising and annotator W i n t o n lean's efforts that would have us believe that Jephtha is a "neglected masterpiece," t h e music itself reveals what PR -words try to hide: there is little of Handel's genius here. His gift for melody and for expres- sive instrumentation which he revealed early in the Chandos Anthems, which weaves through the Opus 6 Concerti Groasi and the" Organ Concerti, and which culminates in 1742 in the Mes- siah - a work in which every number is original and engaging - has sorely waned by the time o Jephtha. Even Theodora, composed in 1749, shows a dilu- l ion' In strength. In our allegiance to an artist vho has provided us with mo- ments of great aesthetic pleasure, we too often strive to rank every work of equal, or at least high, merit. It thus becomes com- - mon practice to say of a com- poser's late and often feebler works that they show a "mel- lowing" (e.g. lack of thematic tension) or a loftiness of intent (e.g. monochromatic religlo- -sity). The more youthful vigor with which Handel animated O earlier Biblical oratorios would- seem to have given way to a style in which the didactic in- tent has excised spirit from the spiritual. The cutting edge of Handel's sense of drama has teen blunted. ;Such criticism does not imply that there is but little to ad- inire in Jephtha; it does imply however that the music is less gripping, less "Handelian" in the sense we associate with his com- position of the first half of the eighteenth century. Jephtha is nothing if not a dramatic work, but the drama and the music is fairly static and monolithic, and not conducive, at least to my tastes, to absorbing at one sit- ting. DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN The Daily Official Bulletin is an official publication of the Univer- sity of Michigan. Notices should be sent in TYPEWRITTEN f or m to Room 3528 L. S. A BId g., before -2 p.m., of the day preceding pub- lication and by 2 p.m. Friday for Saturday and ;Sunday. Items ap- pear once only. Student organiza- tion notices a r e not accepted for publication. - F o r more informa- tion, phone 764-4270. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4 Day Calendar Student Relations Comm. Mtg.: Fund- ing of IM Bldg., Council Em., SAB, 10 a.m. Statistics Seminar: M. . Jirina, "Branching Processes", 2433 M a s o n Hall, 4:00 p.m. Physics Colloq.: T. Dunn, "Nuc- lear Hyperfine Effects" P&A Colioq. Em., 4:00 p.m. . Botany Seminar: A. H. Smith, "Thoughts on 'the Origin and Evolu- tion of the Fleshy Basidomycetes" 1139 Nat. Sci. Bldg., 4:15 p.m. General Notices Society of the Sigma Xi Dinner for Initiates: Dr.. A. S. Sussman, "Food and the Future," Mar. 11! dinner, 6:30 p.m.; lecture, 8:00 p.m. is open to the pub- lic; today last day to send checks ($4.50) for dinner to Sigma Xi, Lack- ham Bldg. Nuclear Colloq.: W. P. Beres, Wayne State "competing Modes of Nuclear Excitation In Ti 51", P&A Colloq. Em., Mar. 5, 4:00 p.m. (Continued on Page 6) last oratorio 'Cactus Flower': Putting Broadway on film Many of the choruses are quite stirring, especially that which begins: "No more to Ammon's god and king." Yet emphasis in- evitably and rightly falls to the attempted delineation of char- acters. Jephtha proclaims nob- ly and heroically, and his wife Storge, fearful of the tragedy she intuits, has been given in- teresting arias in which t h e music well describes her waver- ing between devotion ("In gen- tle murmurs will I mourn") and anxiety ("Scenes of horror, scenes of woe"). Iphis and her lover Hamor have a pleasant, idyllic duet. On the whole, how- ever, I do not feel that the music supports Mr. Dean's con- tention that "the characteriza- tion is masterly." The characters seldom- thrust through their type-masks. Furthermore, cer- tain lovely moments, such as the. Angel's "Rise Jephtha," are ex- tended in duration beyond a point where the music supports interest. Vanguard has gathered a truly outstanding cast for this premiere recording. Alexander Young delivers Jephtha's redl- tatives and arias with a precis- ion and expressiveness that we have come to expect from this fine oratorio singer. Reri Grist, who made her Met -debut in 1966, sings the role of Iphis with an appropriate innocence that recalls her slightly lustier Zer- lina. As Storge, Helen W a t t s makes the most of what per- sonality lies in the role, and Maureen Forrester as Hamor is her usual lugubrious self - ' which implies excellence if you - favor her special thick sound. Bass John Lawrenson and boy soprano Simon Woolf are both assets. Johannes Somary, Director of the Amor Artis Chorale in New York when not recording for' Vanguard, achieves with his singers and with the English Chamber Orchestra a crisper and tighter ensemble and pace than he did in Theodora. (I cannot help but feel-sacreligi- ous as it might sound-that Sir Thomas Beecham's baton-scis- sors would have worked won- ders.) On their medium-priced Cardinal series, Vanguard has provided the clean sound asso- ciated with the Dolby process, though choruses lack a certain transparency. Other recent records of note: For the Connoisseur Society label, Joao Carlos Martins, a young Brazilian pianist who has already made a splendid record- ing of the Ginastera concerto, has begun his version of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. On CS- 2014, he offers Book 1, Preludes and Fugues 1-8 in a style that might be described as lying half- way between the metronomic exegeses of Glenn Gould and ,the atmospheric strumming of. Edwin Fischer. Martins opts for. the melody rather than the, arching structure in every case, but he by no me-ns muddles structure at any time. His touch is warm and lingering, and he is obviously more interested in the beauty of the music than in the abilities of his techniques. With so many assaults on Bach these days, it may be impossible or even ridiculous to worry over authenticity; I can only say that Martin's interpretations are very lovely-a healthy blend of mind and heart. Connoisseur Society" has provided excellent sound. Carlo Maria Giulini conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra (on. Seraphim S-60101) in a per-; formance of Brahms' Symphony No. 3 that combines a Tosca- nini-like excision of lard with a largesse that never becomes over done. Giulini reveals many inner voices I have not been aware of before without sacri- ficing drama and drive. In a word, Giulini's Brahm's Third is exciting, a ' quality one does not often associate with the composer. By NEAL GABLER The comedy of complications -"Oh! What have I gotten my- self into! "-seems to be a per- manent fixture on the Broadway stage. The names are changed, the situations re-located, but the same plays keep coming back at us. And even though everyone in the theatre knows exactly how the thing is going to turn out, they are charmed by its mad momentum. Cactus Flower, now playing at the Michigan Theatre, ad- mirably follows the tradition. Anyone who can't foresee the denouement after the first fif- teen minutes deserves a job in the Nixon Cabinet. The com- plications involve'- Dr. Julian Winston (Walter Matthau), a dentist who has kept his girl- friend Toni (Goldie Hawn) off the subject of marriage by tell- ing her he was already married. But when he decides to right his errant ways and marry her, she demands to see the wife we know doesn't exist. So, Julian convinces his devoted nurse of ten years, Stephanie Dickinson (Ingrid Bergman), to pose as his misses. Now,.you fill in the rest. The idea is not especially up- roarious, but the film is very, very likable, and considering what has been in Ann Arbor re- cently, that's a hell of a lot. Matthau is perfect as the man "waltzing in cement." While Ingrid Bergman lacks the sting- ing sarcasm of Lauren Bacall, she is credible. The real scene- stealer, however, is doe-eyed Goldie Hawn. Surprised? She's ten times as cuddly as Charmin' tissue, and receives the high accolade of being added to my list of vicarious screen romances. The problem is: She's so won- derful, it's hard to believe any- one could fall out of love with her. Cactus Flower is a very solid film, the kind of thing Holly- wood used to do twenty-five years ago, and the kind of thing Broadway has never stopped do- ing Gene Saks' direction is ade- quate and never messy. And the lighting, and cinematography by veteran Charles Lang has the stolid feel of the days when Eisenhower rode high in his golf cart, the studios were going full blast, and technically, movies all looked the same. I hope you forgive me for ex- ercising my cold critical judg- ment on as cute a movie as this, but I do find one weakness -Igor Sullivan played by Rick Lenz. Igor is Toni's next door neighbor, and you can figure out where he fits in on the love rectangle. His performance is incredibly weak, which disturbed me, because I really hated to ; see anyone get hitched up to him. I mean, how can you have a happy ending when one of the romances is with the sort of fel- low you wouldn't want your sister to take home? If you can overlook that, and I think you can, you'll, love Cactus Flower. Who can resist Goldie? After leveling a blast at shorts last week, I must give the Mich- igan Theatre credit. The Na- tional Film Board of Canada production Boomsville, which showed with Viva Max, was wonderfully intelligent. A 1 a n Arkin's People Soup, playing with Cactus Flower, is one of the finest shorts I've seen in a long spells The Campus and State should take note. If you can't have good films, at least have good shorts. THESIS DEADLINE MARCH 16 Avoid the Hassle. Check our Rates and Professional Service CAMPUS MULTISERVICE 214 Nickels Arcade 662-4222 I lb iI i I I f THINK about Students THINK about the 'ENSIAN BUY IT NOW w4l c - Nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture FOLK LEGACY RECORDING ARTIST SARA GREY 4 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. dulcimer: lbanjo autoharp I Best Director "a warm and beautiful voice.. perfectly in control ... an evening to remember." SAT. 1 P.M.- Workshop Best Editing Best Foreign Film Best Screen Play SAT. NITE LATE- After Houri TON ITE- COMING THURSDAY NOMINATED FOR 5 ACADEMY AWARDS "BEST PICTURE" ll z', I I LIMITED -NATONALGENEA*"C*"^"*"O ONE LLaG WEEK 375No. MAPLE RD.-769-1300 TIMES MON.-FRI. 7:15 & 9:10 "'Take The Money And Run' is nuttiness triumphant." FOR NOW, THE SUMMER OR THE FALL . . . WON'T YOU COME IN? STUDENT LIVING QUARTERS 1217 s. UNIVERSITY 662-6591 I HOOT NEXT WEEK: ROSALIE SORRELS Subscribe to The Michigan Daily !" Join The Daily Sports Staf- oedtb yCosta-Gavras scremeay by Jorge Semprun Muu cy Mikis Theodorakis Coming Thursday to the Campus Theatre d --, 4 .:. mm" Join The Daily CIRCULATION DEPT. Come in any afternoon 420 Maynard Watch the future hit you smack in the Lace before you're prepared. Hear it live on HARVEST. Record & Tape. Serving the U.S. Music Industry For Under A Year. RADICAL FILM SERIES PRESENTS The dreddtd bDtato produced by, directed by,° and starring. 1. ROY HARPER, c. timeless. Big & Bawdy Raver, Poet-Singer. Filler of the Albert Hall. Beguiler of women. Whimsical. Master of parody. Enormously popular in England. Imminent tour of the U.S. Equipped with guitar and strange wit. About records in general he says: "This generation's got a problem on its hands in this society -how to waste our time. Scne of us really kill it." About amplification: "Ego. It's never right. It's never geared to people who've got something to say. It's geared to the people who've got a lot of noise to make." Roy Harper has something to say.... FLAT BAROQUE AND BERSERK. 2. FOURTH WAY, c. 1975. Roots going back and forth. CHANGES called Fourth Way a "REAL super group." They're devoted musicians. Between them, they've played with John Handy, Roland Kirk, Charles Lloyd, Maynard Ferguson, Herbie Mann, Buddy Rich, Stan Getz, Gary Burton. Drummer Eddie Marshall has been called a "magician." Mike White, violinist, was Downbeat New Jazz Star, 1967. The music is not jazz or rock, but somewhere in between. Or beyond. Bob Palmer, reviewer for CHANGES: "one super superlative will aVW5 4. KEVIN AYERS, born 18 August,1944, Herne Bay in Kent, early morning. "German flying bomb exploded in neighboring field ensuring a certain deafness, which I am fortunate enough to possess to this day." We haven't noticed. Kevin was former lead singer with SOFT MACHINE (who provided some impressive arrangements on this album). Nonetheless, the album is Ayers. Oboe, piccolo, flute, trombone, electronics, cello,.numerous guitars, and kazoo. One English reviewer said: "What Ayers does is find the essence of all 'pop' music and polish it to a high degree at the centre." 5. FOREST, post-renaissance. Three prolific musicians. Martin Welham playsa12-string guitar, organ, harmonium, piano, pipes, percussion; Derek Allenby plays mandolin, harmonica, pipes, harmonium, percussion; Hadrian Welham plays guitar, harmonica, pipes, cello, electric harpsichord, harmonium, percussion, organ and mandolin. All 12 tracks composed by members of the group. Something like Incredible String Band. Not like them at all. These are modern musicians, combining contemporary harmonics and medieval polyphonics. Ah, magical. Without parallel in the U.S.