Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, January 18, 1 -;' 14r Pae w TE IHIANDIL uedaJauay18_ m Overdirected ensemble Na A now neural foods restaurant: By FRANCES SCHWARTZ A chamber orchestra confronts problems of ensemble, balance, and intonation to a degree that a larger orchestra does not. The Paul Kuentz Chamber Orches- tra of Paris, under the direction of Paul Kuentz, met these prob- lems in a program last night at the Power Center with varying effectiveness. The ensemble consisted of no more than sixteen string play- ers- complemented by harpsi- chord, soprano, and trumpet. With so few musicians on stage, one soon had the feeling that the conductor was to a large extent non-essential. Indeed, one wondered whether his mere presence evidenced a lack of faith in the ability of the per- formers to interact to produce that excitement which is pos- sible when the direction of the group is indicated by the con- certmistress in lieu of an over- stating and intruding baton. The music of the evening was certainly rich with the potential of this excitement. Works by the Baroque composers Mouret, Vi- valdi, Bach, and Telemann can inspire a vibrancy of spirit by their unflagging inner pulse and special development of melodic sequence. Yet the performers chose to give a sweet rather than vibrant interpretation to these basic elements, and though beautifully executed and care- fully controlled, the essential drive was felt to be lacking. A Serenade for Strings, writ- ten by Daniel Lesur in 1954, provideda contrast to the ear- lier works, and one felt that the piece generated more interest in the performers. Unfortunately, the work, in three movements, offered little in the way of mu- sical substance beyond occasion- al rhythmic patterns and in- teresting inner string pizzacato accompaniment. Rather unin- spired melodies filled the re- mainder of the work, rendering the whole less than innovative. Solo work by the trumpeter Jean-Francois Dion in three of the four Baroque works must not go unmentioned, for the clarity of tone, dynamic nuance, and intonation were remarkably fine. After his performance last week in Hill Auditorium, Soviet cellist Mstislav Rostropovich in- dicated his desire to establish a music scholarship in his name at the University of Michigan. Gail Rector, president of the University Musical Society which sponsored the cellist's appear- ance, said yesterday that the details of the scholarship will be determined before Rostro- povich returns to Moscow. According to Rector, the cel- list's next concert here will be dedicated to the scholarship. Barbara Schlick, the soprano soloist in Bach's Cantata No. 51, gave evidence of a light and pure voice which, though not consistently strong, was refresh- ing and well in tune with the orchestra and trumpet obligato. No credit was given on the pro- gram to any but the conductor and soloists for the evening, and this seemed an unfortunate oversight in view of the fine work done by the first cellist in her role as the basso con- tinuo in conjunction with the harpsichord. The cellist's sense of phrasing and her under- standing of her importance rhythmically in the ensemble was a major contribution to the cohesion of the group as a whole. Indeed, it was easy to conceive that the otherwise slop- pily directed ritards through- out the evening could have been much more effectively derived from the cellist's rhythmic im- pulse than from the conductor's arbitrarily imposed conception. It is to Mr. Kuentz's credit to have brought these musicians from Paris. It is only a shame that he did not allow them to function to their fullest capacity as true chamber musicians. DELTA CHI HAS A PLACE FOR YOU TO LIVE OPEN HOUSE 1705 HILL Jan. 18-Jan. 22 - - -- - -- - ked Lunch food as natural as life inexpensive, carefully prepared. LUNCH SERVED FROM 11:00-2:30 P.M. MONDAY-FRI DAY in the basement of the NEWMAN CENTER 331 Thompson, 761-1154 .p I WE'RE HERE TO HELP We are professional counselors, available through- out the day to talk with you' confidentially about: -Personal Problems -Difficulties in dealing with the bureaucracy -Troubles in relating with other people -Problem Pregnocies -Referrals to other community resources -Anything else you need to talk about We're here 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every weekday-No ap- pointment needed. (For help at other hours, call 76-GUIDE). Our service is free for students. Just come over to: COUNSELING SERVICES OFFICE OF STUDENT SERVICES THIRD FLOOR, MICHIGAN UNION -Daily-Sara Krulwich La Valse. A laudatory study of French period tragicomedy i III By PENNY SHAW Directed by John Reed, "La Valse des toreadors" is an early twentieth century piece grin- cante (jarring drama) which treats the theme of old age and alienation. The revelation for a general, convincingly acted by John Reed, of his futile seven- teen years of fidelity to his in- valid wife, serves as the vehicle for this theme. Pam Dryen as Ghislaine, who has shared the General's un- realistic fantasy approach to life by faithfully maintaining the platonic and romantic view that action and real human contact will be possible in the indefinite future, serves as a catalyst by her unexpected arrival. Dryden is to be praised for the range of her acting abilities as she involves the spectators in her anger, naivete, and distress. Betsy Price, as the General's wife, is also to be commended for the most gripping perform- ance of the play through her realization of the neurotic, in- fantile wife. David Rutkowski brought life to the role of the Doctor, the voice of realism in the play. However, the best overall per- formance of the play was by Janet Wishnetsky in the roles of the two maids. She subtly conveyed a certain impishness and - as is often typical of such a role - brought consider- able humor to the production. The daughters, played by Mary Schaffner ;and Anne Temple were happily appropriate in their quarrelsome, flirtations roles, if a bit exaggerated. Jo Breines, as Gaston,a was among the better performers, noted for his gestures of confusion and anticipation as he contemplates his first sexual encounter. Chris- tine White carried her part well as the local seamstress, making the spectator believe in the primacy of her concern for the feelings of the people involved in crises. Isabelle Carduner as the Mother Superior actualized her role, producing the comic relief. The stylized early nineteenth century sets designed by Sherry Ingles are to be lauded for their appropriateness to this period play as well as for the perfectly splendid bedroom set, which is a visual feast. Lighting designer Jo Appelt subtly directed the spectator's attention from the whole set to one actor, convey- ing the altering importance of group interaction and individual contemplation. Costumer Brent Program Information 8-6416 JANE FONDA in kiute *AND* PAUL NEWMAN in COOL HAND LUKE -THURSDAY- "AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING FILM! A TOPNOTCH THRILLER! -JUDITH GRIST, NEW YORK MAGAZINE Ramsey obviously had the visual interests of the spectators in mind as he selected outfits with variety and richness which did not distract attention from in- volvement with the total pro- duction. Director John Reed deserves credit for the unity of the act- ing, sets, lighting and costumes as well as for his attempt to bring French language theatre to Ann Arbor. However, the praise for this production must be kept within the context of an amateur production, with novice actors. I the ann arbor film1 cooperativeJ PRESENTS 25 FINE FILMS THIS TERM TONIGHT-TU ESDAY-JANUARY 18th-ONLY: Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, Slim Summerville in Louis Milestone's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Winner of 2 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director) 1929/30 Made from Erich Maria. Remarque's great anti-war novel, this most uncomprpmising anti-war film ever made was banned in Germany until the 1960's. One of the first all-sound films made, Milestone never lets the slightest glorification of war creep into his grim World War I film. It gave. an enormous boost to the career of Ayres, the young actor who was later to become a noted conscientious objector in World War II, then serve with distinction as a non-combatant hospital corpsman. auditorium o-angell hall-tonight at 7 & 9:30 p.m.-still only 75c COMING THURSDAY-Melvyn Douglas, Gene Hackman in I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER NEXT TUESDAY-Beyond horror!-NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD THURSDAY, JAN. 27-Mich Jagger in the Maysles' GIMME SHELTER 1 mwm ENDS THURSDAY "GO SEE $ (DOLLARS) AND BE HAPPY!" --Wanda Hale, N.Y. Daily News WARREN BEATTY and GOLDIE HAWN In PRESENTS MR. D.W. GRIFFITH'S THE BIRTH OF A NATION Cinema Guild's annual tribute to the birth of the narrative film. To be appreciated, The Birth of a Nation must be thought of in its historical con- text. Behind the overtones of racism and the 57 years of wear on the print lie narrative innovations (parallel cutting, revealing camera movements, ond so on) which stunned the film-going world in 1915. These innovations gave the cinema some of its first moments of breath-taking excitement. Pres- ident Woodrow Wilson described the film by saying: "it's like .writing history in lightning.". Birth of a Nation stars the great Lillian Gish (Mae Marsh also has a role). It will be shown at 7 and 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in ARCHITECTURE AUDITORIUM 75c I IN STEREO SOUND! RATED G I OPEN 1 P.M. Shows at 1:15-3:15-6:15-8:45 NEXT: "DIRTY HARRY" L~