The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, October 10, 1978-Page-7
A flawless
Horowitz
By MARK JOHANSSON
If one ev~nt could be singled out as
the high point of the 1978-79 University
Musical Society year, it probably took
place last Sunday. Clearly the sense of
history and the outstanding solo vir-
tuosity of Vladimir Horowitz made
Sunday afternoon unique and
memorable.
Horowitz's performance was the
opening concert of the 100th Choral
Vladimir Horowitz
Sunday, October 8, 1978
Hill Auditorium
Polonaise-Fantasie, Op. 61 .,....Frederic Chopin
Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55 .... Frederic Chopin
Mazurka in B minor, Op. 33, No.4
Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 35
...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frederic Chopin
Moment Musical in B minor, Op. 16. No. 3
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Moment Musical in E-fiat minor. Op.
16, No. 2...........Sergei Rachmaninoff
Consolation ........................Franz Liszt
Mephisto Waltz....................Franz Liszt
large work and one of his most free and
characteristic.
The Polonaise opens with a series of
dramatic chords which Horowitz
played with authority and resonant
bass. Soon, the rhythmic melody soared
brilliantly over the accompaniment,
and quickly ascending scales and chor-
ds were used to form layers of sound
or precise ornamentation, depending
on the pedalling.
HOROWITZ' STYLE is so romantic
he can make melody from essentially
non-melodious material, like the rapid
right-hand chords and runs played
against massive left hand chords which
leap wild intervals.
The Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55,'one
of Chopin's most intimate wotks,
displays a simple beauty, but is by'no
means simple to perform. In the
meldoy, Horowitz used a full, watm
tone and an expressive rubato to create
an emotional tension. After a mofe
feverish middle section with a bold;
ringing melody, the first section retiir-
ns.' The piaftissimo at the end was
played clearly, and with great delicacy
and expression.
Ch opin's Mazurkas are among t$e
best examples of Romantic music in-
spired by folk idioms. The Mazurka in B
minor, Op. 33, No. 4, reflects the exiled
composer's longing for his natiue
Poland, and a first, simpler one ndte
melody is contrasted with a second
melody of charging chords. Here, the
audience sat spellbound as Horowitz
See HOROWITZ, Page 8
Daily Photo by ANDY FREEBERG
Pianist Vladimir Horowitz treated an appreciative Hill Auditorium crowd to a flawless performance last Sunday afternoon.
RE CORDS
s
Tormato
Yes
Alantic 19202
By MARTY LEVINE
When the new Yes album has nine
short songs and a genuinely ugly cover
(with a bad pun besides!) something is
either very wrong or very right.
Ever since the success of their fourth
album, Fragile, Yes has 'been in-
creasingly involved with the or-
hestration of synthesizers, the con-
truction of sometimes free-form or
"artsy" double-album-long works that
develop. musical themes, and the
prophesizing of some vague galactic
community of man. Rock fans have
been disturbed by the overseriousness
and aloofness of the band, and the
heavy, brooding quality that has per-
vaded (and, in the opinion of some,
ruined) their subsequent albums.
BUT THE alienation of their listeners
has caused the band to step back and
re-assess their music. It appears that
,Yes has played out its cosmic liturgy in
last year's fine Going For The One, and
has foregone 25-minute songs for a
chance to rock. In the new album, Tor-
mato, Yes has harnessed the beauty
and pretensions of art-rock to the power
of electronic instrumentation. The
result is a more rock-oriented Lp with
less of last year's cathedral-type sound.
The tunes in Tormato are intriguing,
if not catchy - the band never stoops to
conventional melodies. The many
keyboards on this album are not over-
bearing but tasteful. The intricate
guitar work is no longer disturbing, but
simply amazing in its speed and
vitality.
Lead composer and singer Jon An-
derson's boy-soprano voice is a delight
on "Circus of Heaven," a splendid trip
through the bright fantastic. Cascading
guitars and keyboards make Anderson's
colorful lyrics very effective. Ander-
son's son, Damion, even sings the
closing line of the song. His voice is only
a bit higher than his father's and just as
sweet. Though it is shocking at first,
this move fits Jon Anderson, who is
ever the angelic and celestial child.
"ARRIVING UFO" is a powerful
composition, full of energy that lasts
perhaps one explosion too long. Steve
Howe's piercing guitar and Alan
White's synthesized drums herald the
coming of outer space to earth, and An-
derson's lyrics, for once, bring an un-
common lucidity to the event. "On the
Silent Wings of Freedom" is a less suc-
cessful version of last year's
"Awaken," complete with slow build
up, dramatic pauses, and the Yes
trademark - a wash ot synthesizers.
With this song Anderson has stretched
his cosmic mind past the beautiful to
the obscure and the incomprehensible,
writing lyrics with a dour urgency that
only he can understand.
Crosby and Nash have probably done
more for whales with their elegant
"Wind on The Water," but Yes's "Don't
Kill The Whale" is a good rocker. The
lyrics are incredibly banal - "Don't
hunt the whale, dig it, dig it" - and the
group once again has taken to chanting
the latin name of their song's sea-going
creature. This is one step above "bop-
shoo-wop," but only one step.
"Whale" has a flying Rick Wakeman
keyboard solo and driving guitars, and
looks to be the Lp's hit single.
"MADRIGAL" is the only acoustic
song on the album, with a majestic mix
of harpsichord and Spanish guitar.
What would have been a love song with
any other group has turned into a heady
fantasy by Wakeman and Anderson, the
group's spaciest dreamers. The sim-
plicity of last year's "Wondrous
Stories" makes this seem ponderous.
Following, it is "Release, Release,"
which would have made a great show
tune.
Indeed, like their earlier hit, "Roun-
dabout," "Release, Release" is about
performing as a rock band. White's
drum solo is the best ever on a Yes
album, whipping the song's middle sec-
tion into a very effective break. This
section, surprisingly, is backed by fake
crowd noises to capture the mood of a
concert. Whatever strange melodies
they've saddled themselves with, the
talent of the individual musicians
comes forth in a live performance. The
questions about rock's purpose raised
by the song are valid ones, especially
for a group whose music is still
developing.
".. . THE pressure's on, is there
lack of consideration?" Anderson asks.
And he concludes, "You won't see me in
front, but you can't leave me behind."
Yes, in this, their eleventh album, may
finally be capturing an aLudience and a
working style. For a band that's been
around for "ten true summers long,"
this is truly something to rejoice about.
1
BRU BECK
QUARTET
Dave Darius Chris Dan
QCT. 13, 14-8:30 pm
with guest appearance by JACK BROKENSHA
MUSIC hAI CENTER
350 Madison Avenue, Detroit
BOX OFFICE: 973-7680
L
Take 1-94 to
southbound )-75.
Use Madison Ave. exit
Next Attraction:
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
Oct. 18-22
Tickets by phone
with MC, VISA or at door:
$9.50, $8.50, $7.50, $5.50
f:-"...
7 N 'ili on o Dijffernt Mothers."
'"Ths album constitutes a collaboration, experimental in nature,
between Iim and myself It is an attempt for both of us to move
outside our oWn recognizable boundaries and try neu directions-
new forms of music which we rarely get to explore on our own. It
is a chance to stretch, an opportunity to grow, andiz
hell of a lot of fun.I
<.. .. 1 .