Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, November 9, 1971 Ricci: By DONALD SOSIN There are violinists and violin- ists. And then there is Ruggiero Ricci. In the type of playing for which he is best known, pyro- technical display, he is insur- passable. His recital in Hill Auditorium last night, the sec- ond concert in the Choral Union Series of the University Musical Society, was a reflection of this technique. The program focused on works of enormous difficulty - works intended to astound the listener. These included the Perpetual Impressive at Motion by Paganini and Ernst's arrangement of Hungarian airs. The Paganini has been ar- ranged for orchestras and band, but is most impressive in its original version, and was most impressive last night. The con- trol that Ricci displayed in spicatto bowing and in flawless intonation left one open-mouthed with amazement. The Ernst work did not reach the same level of perfection, but was not far from it. The problems here arose in the accompaniment, played by Rebecca Penneys, who frequent- ly failed to match the subtle rhythmic deviations that Ricci executed with great flair. In a suite from Stravinsky's Le Baiser de la Fee, originally a ballet based on Tschaikowsky themes, rhythmic fluctuations in the piano occurred where none should have. Stravinsky was nothing if not a composer of precise harsh rhythms, and Pen- neys' failure to maintain an ab- solutely steady beat prevented the work from sounding as tight as it is. The suite calls for complete precision beneath a feeling of throwing caution to the winds. While there was no question about Ricci's ability to field all ,shots that came his way, one was somewhat disappointed in his partner's efforts. The two did work together to produce a fine rendition of Bee- thoven's Sonata in E flat, Op. 12, No. 3, which opened the eve- ning. With a few exceptions, Beethoven's violin sonatas are on a grand scale. This good-na- tured work contains many won- derful moments, including sly references to other Beethoven Hill< themes. Throughout its three movements Ricci's tone was sweet without being cloying, and Penneys executed the tricky part with aplomb, despite a tendency to rush now and then. The heart of the program was the Bach Sonata No. 3,in C major for solo violin. Ricci did it justice as far as notes and phrasing went. and was especial- ly convincing in the fugue,, a peak of difficulty in Bach's solo writing. But there was a dimen- sion missing. One did not, learn anything from the perforrtm nce. Playing Bach and listening to it can be an intensely moving ex- perience. ,There is so much depth in the music, and so many feelings can be projected from it. Ricci is a sensitive musician, but was not drawn into his thoughts, and did notlfeel he was creating ideas for us to ponder. With the two encores he was back in his milieu, playing the rarely-heard Ysaye Sonata No. 3, and the Paganini variations on God Save the Queen. The last is a specialty of Ricci's, and its performance was sensational. As a master of sleight of hand, there is no one that can touch him. Godot opens tomorrow University Players' productionI of Waiting for Godot will open to- morrow night in Trueblood Aud. The performances will continue through Saturday evening. Godot was written by Samuel Beckett, arid was first pModuced in Paris in 1953. The action of the play centers around two days in the lives of two bums, who spend their time waiting for Godot. They will spend their entire lives waiting, for Go- dot will never come. Curtain times for all perform- ances will be 8 p.m. F El p ME Wed., Nov. 10-4 P.M. A LECTURE on i'i r I . Concertus Musicus: A return to the past By JOHN HARVITH From Wanda Landowska's revolutionary resuscitation of the harpischord to Adolph Busch's novel insistence on chamber-sized Bachian orchestras, this century has witnessed a growing awareness of performance practices of the past. Saturday night at Rackham Auditorium, the University Mu- sical Society furthered this historical progression by giving Ann Arborites their first opportunity to experience a live performance by Vienna's Concentus Musicus, a chamber group which has made this musical era's most dramatic break with traditional Stokowski- ized Bach. Utilizing reliable eighteenth-century contemporary sources on performance practice, the ensemble is composed entirely of original (or precisely copied) Baroque instruments tuned down more than half a tone from standard concert pitch. The musicians consciously employ vibrato for isolated expressive effects instead of producing the fat, ever-rich tone which most contemporary musicians apply to both Brahms and Bach. Yet, unlike the dry fossilized sounds the average concert-goer may associate with "original" instruments and the practical performance results of musicological research; the Concentus avoids a "museum" approach. Indeed, according to the group's founder and director, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, the Concentus' strives for interpretive freedom in improvised orna- mentation- and rhythmic flexibility. Sensitive but alert string accompaniments haloed the mellow, non-piercing timbre of solo Baroque oboes in Albinino's C-major Concerto, featuring poignant economical use of string vibrato in the adagio and exquisite highlighting of inner voices in the effer- vescent allegro. William Lawes' Purcellish Fantasia, "On the Plain- song" and Air for string quartet was consummately served by the musicians' passionate attacks and eerie pianissimi. A dance suite drawn from Rameau's operatic masterpiece "Castor et Pollux" revealed the French theoretician-composer as. a first-class musical wit, possessing all the invention and humanity of a Haydn. The Concentus, obviously spurred on by Rameau's un- expectedly abrupt' phrase-endings and sudden excursions from major to minor, tossed off one miraculously ornamented move- ment after another, from the aristocratic "menuet" and piquant "tambourin" (with clearly heard traverse flute doublings) to the arbitrary, surprise transitions of the "chaconne." . Ensemble spirit triumphed in Bach's Fifth Brandenburg Con- certo as the musicians provided an object lesson in inspired musi- cology, Although the familiar opening allegro went at breakneck speed, it never sounded rushed, but breathed naturally with re- -ined, subdued string tone. The astounding virtuosity displayed by all performers transformed the music into a fluent, mercurial whole, with the solo harpsichord's cadenza dazzling in its intensity. The "affetuoso" became light and airy with the traverse flute's velvety tone perfectly matched to the violin in rubato rhythm over i steady bass. The winged concluding allergo reaffirmed Harnon- court's credo of spontaneity and vibrancy above all-a credo of 'which too many musical groups today have apparently lost sight. Corner of State and Liberty Sts. DIAL 662-6264 Shows at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9:05 FRANK ZAPPA'S R I I i Subscribe To THE MICHIGAN DAILY Phone 764-0558 to Subscribe to A "OF -M ^ THE 71-72 STUDENT DIRECTORY IS HERE GET IT-NOV. 8, 9, 10, 11 In your favorite dorm dinner line WATCH FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS IN YOUR DORM ALSO AT MICHIGAN DAILY BUILDING The Price-ONLY ONE DOLLAR I I The School of Music and Department of Art present MOZART'S OPERA The Magi Fute English translation by Josef Blatt NOVEMBER 19, 20, 22, & 23-8 P.M. MENDELSSOHN THEATRE $1.50 & $3.00 ($1.50 tickets for U-M students only) Conductor Josef Buatt Stage Director; Ralph Herbert TICKET INFORMATION: 764-6118 MAIL ORDERS: School of Music Opera, Mendelssohn Theatre, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 Please enclose self-oaddressed, stamped envelope BOX OFFICE OPENS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, AT 12:30 P.M. EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY PRESENTS DONOVAN n concert' FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 8:30 pan. Bowen Field House TICKETS-$3.50, $4.50, $5.50 Available at * McKenny Union Ticket Office " Ann Arbor Music Mart, Liberty St. " Michigan Union ~ TI 1'1 C- AVC-rA0 ,+ - .41maw - - - - w ~ w W WW W SHOP WEDNESDAY 9:30 A.M. UNTIL 5:30 P.M. Miss J is ankle-deep in tartan plaid by College Town and loving every minute. This long acrylic skirt in assorted clan plaids '4' 'S ~ 1' I ' qii~~i~ IL A ou POPOOOPP, GRAD COFFEE HOUR Come for dessert and coffee after dinner TUESDAY, NOV. 9 8-10 p.m. 4th Floor RACKHAM goes just about everywhere depending on how you top it. 5-13 sizes. $20. As +WA6 oa' SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS Sponsored EMERGENCY DRIVING. SCHOOL SAT., NOV. 13 and SUN., NOV. 14 at WILLOW RUN AIRPORT MEETING Wed., Nov. 10-7:30 p.m. UGLI Multipurpose Room 9 Apolications accented ot meeting A / 'I I Al~i