A rtzx; THE MICHIGAN DAILY Arsk Entertdin ment Tuesday, December 7, 1976 Page Five ,ti , MM M University'~s Messiah Ic Rv a rtr-T V T*ZTrT r A ---,a « #-I, , .,,,., - ,,. f,«.,.,tI By ANGE NICITA eneu with a oroad and typicaly TqHE AUDIENCE stood and Frenchstyle overture from the waited silently as the con- orchestra which included a ductor raised his arms. As he beautiful blending of strings. lowered them, Hill Auditorium The tenor soloist, Vinson Sole, was filled with the voices of the then performed the recitative 300 member University Choral and aria "Comfort ye" and Union bursting forth in the joy- "Every Valley". He seemed ous strains of the Hallelujah slightly unsure of himself in Chorus. these first two pieces, which This was only one of the many prophecy the birth of the Mes- highlights of the magnificent siah. His voice moved slightly performance of Handel's Mes- off from the background estab- siah, staged last weekend by lished by the orchestra. How- the Choral Union and the Inter- ever, in the second portion of lochen Arts Academy Orchestra the program with his next reci- under the direction of Donald tative "All they that see him", Bryant. he completely redeemed himself Written in 1741 by Handel i with his beautiful vocal quality during a fit of inspiration in and the candid expression he which he shut himself up in a; portrayed. room for 24 days straight, the The bass soloist, Simon Estes, Messiah is an oratorio which showed a beautiful depth and reflects the Prophecy, Advent, emotion with -his voice from Nativity, Mission, Sacrifice and the moment he began to per- Atonement, Ascension, Gospel form. In his recitative and aria Tidings and Resurrection of "Thus saith the Lord" and "But Jesus Christ. It was composed whom may abide" he brought in 3 parts with over 50 individ- out the imposinb fear in each tal pieces, and the Choral Un- t expl 'osieearthshakingepro- ion seemed to capture the truet spirit of this masterpiece in its phecy of the Messiah. He execu- rednition. ted the difficult Baroque runs, T H E PERFORMANCE op- shakes, and embellishments ofI - I - -- - the pieces with skillful exper- tise, Lili Clookasian, the contralto, was the next soloist to be plac- ed in the spotlight. Like the tenor, her first piece, "Behold, a Virgin shall conceive", seem- ed to be slightly off, not por- traying the solemn proclama- tion it should have but instead having a more narrative style. However, Clookasian too made up for the slip with her next re- citative "Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened." In this piece she showed a true depth of expression and vocal quality, lending it an air of calmness and a promise of joy with the coming savior. AS WITH the tenor and con- tralto, the soprano, Kathryn Bouleyn, appeared to have dif- ficulty with her first series of recitatives, beginning with "There were shepherds abiding in the fields." Her voice was off at times and her vibrato seem- ed to generate the wrong pitch. Bouleyn too got better as the night went on. Her aria "He shall feed his flock like a shep- herd" was excellent and illus- trated the peaceful repose pro- mised in the piece with beauti- ful vocal quality. The Chorus was magnificent throughout the performance. The blending of voices was sup- erlative and strong, but not ov- erbearing. They seemed to bring out the true spirit of the oratorio. In the first part they exhibited the Prophecy of the coming of Christ and the glory and peace of his birth in such pieces as "And he shall purify" and "Glory to God in the high- est". In the second part the overall emotional tone of the Chorus changed to one of anger and bitter sadness as they re- vealed the Passion and suffer- ing of his death. The final portion required an- other change in mood to show the joy of the Resurrection and the Gospel, culminating in the final and triumphant chorus "Amen". Throughout the entire performance the chorus was able to portray t these mood changes effectively and with ex- quisite vocal variation. THE INTERLOCHEN Arts Academy Orchestra provided one of the most beautiful por- tions of a totally enjoyable y )vel show. The mood and expression the musicians portrayed at. all times matched the feelings of the singers. The skillful playing of the harpsichord by Nancy Hodge added greatly to the group's overall quality. Perhaps- tw of the most impressive con- tributions of the orchestra can be seen in the Pastoral Sym- phony and the bass aria "The trumpet shall sound". In the Pastoral Symphony the strings did a beautiful job establishing the mood of peace and serenity of Christmas Eve. In the bass aria the trumpet section pro- duced excellent embellishments in the higher register of the instrument. Overall the orches- tra proved to be an expressive ano indispensible element to the enjoyment of the Messiah. In totality the Choral Union and orchestra performed Han- del's work in a way which truly brought forth its inherent dra- ma and majesty. Handel once said that he wrote the Messiah with the hosts of heaven stand- ing before him, and after hear- ing the University's beautiful rendition of this classic Satur- day night, it almost seems be- lievable. 'Druid By SARAH GRIFFITH Druid Dirge, performed Barbour gym last Friday a Saturday nights, was an e trancing demonstration on h( theatre and dance can be mi ed. Mary Giordano, director a 'composer, and Bruce Faton Buffalo conceived 'of a dan both about women and abo Barbour itself. This mixture of theatre a: dance is part of a new wa of theatre - one that learn Dirge: Entrancing JOHN FORD'S 1946 words from Gertrude Stein's use by lighting various sections M Y D A R LIN G in Many, Many Women was my of the floor. nd favorite section. Never letting - The last scene, a ritual funer- 'M / EN aI UE a n- ooeachother, the daners al libation, was particularly ef- Henry Fonda stars as Wyatt Earp who moved across the gym floor in fective, turning the gym intoH ix- a variety of shapes, sometimes a kind of cathedral, with the rides into Tombstone with a cattle drive. nd ngtoteh other, some monk's choir overhead on the After his brother is killed, Wyatt stays oftimes to themselves or to the track. Again, the audiende was ce audience, but never letting the trusted with structuring this] on as marshall. Walter Brennan and ut beat get monotonous or the ac- scene, as fluorescent water wasWh tion repetitive. In a scene like dumped on two prone figures. Ward Bond share the action at the OK nd thin, theatre and dance are Though this performance was Corral. ve united in a union more mature simply done, it showed what an ed and more exaggerated than in interesting and potentially use- WED: THE BLUE DAHLIA to mfiul space Barbour can be, and C ATONIGHT AT OLD ARCH. AU). Gi- Druid Dirge was created i what a waste it would be to tear 7:00 & 9:05 Admission $1.25 up and for Barbour; it makes use down its lovely oak walls. ) i f h i track thecir-- Daily Photo by ANDY FREEBERG Jazz saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk produces some powerful music at his Sunday night M.chigan Ballroom appearance. UN ION BALLROOM CONCERT: from Theatre of the Absur Kirk cooks on saxt By JIM STIMSON When Kirk rejoined the band Anymore." Hill remained on ]DURING THE second set of for the mti'al portion of the stage for the rest of the show. Rahsaan Roland Kirk's Sun- song, he began to cook with His, smooth, rich voice blended day night concert, he opened the I newfound energy. His sax lines well with Kirk's music. flo'r to questions from the audi- were now sweet and soaring, not The Vibration Society is com- ene. choppy as they'd been at the posed, of Hilton Ruiz, piano; "How come you ain't played start of the tune. Philip Bowler, bass; Steve voar soprano sax?" asked one Turre, trombone; and John Gold- A YEAR AGO, this same dy- smith, wearing an official Rahsaan smiled, and said, "In namo had a stroke, which left Eclipse Jazz shirt, on drums. A.erica, you always got to him partially paralyzed. Six They were flashy on the solr' * p-ove something . . . It's a months and ninety pounds later, but never drowned out the main 'itch." he was back to prove he could attraction, Kirk. still play. And the crowd at the' AFTER THE laughter died Michigan Union Ballroom is now Kirk, a native of Columbus, down, he added, "But I'm 100 per cent believers. Ohio, had the audacity to play Ia eit to you." Ithe Ohio State fight song,jazz strong. I can proveKirk is a veteran of many style-but placated the crowd a few noteson the proceeded to blow tours. He doesn't even recall by switching to "Hail to the the tenor sax-at the same whether he's played Ann Arbor Victors" halfway through. Then after this proof positive, Kirk before. But audiences don't con- he turned around again and launched ito an energetic so- cern Kirk much. added, "I hope you get yo' ass prano solo, which was more "I just want audiences to be beat." music than show. loose, into the music," he ex- The set was also marked by Shortly before, Kirk and his "lamed i an after-show iter- tributes to former jazz greats. band, the Vibration Society, had view.Kirk played "Theme for Lester worked the audience into a p Young" from Return of the feverish emotional peak with the e SHO a 5000 Pound Man, and closed the song "Voluntary Slavery." He ,,mento"fKi 's flae stlbu set with a tribute to John Col- stopped playg his sax and (before his stroke). He then trane and to Lady Day, Billie gan chanting with the crowd,(f h sk haeH Holliday. The last number faded building to a wailing and moan- brought on voca ist Michael Hill out, with Kirk wispering, "dick- ing uproar. It was total audience' for the moving jazz-blues numn etv-clack, Clickety clack, who'll involvement, her, "I Don't Get Around Much: bring the spirit back?" Nobody --__-_-__-tried to bring the spirit back more than Kirk himself dt4 &ie4 rl"HE UNIVERSITY'S Arts ter. Call the University Music Chorale is presenting its School for time and price in- Christmas Concert tonight at 8 formation.I in Hill Aud. The progiam wxill - feature works by Charpentier, Respighi, Pingham and Poulenc. p qIs1br It should be good, so close up those ugly books and go listen but which also lends itself a broader range of themes. C ordano hopes to take her grot to the New Theater Festival Baltimore in the spring, both learn and to show her techr ques to others. A DUET DANCED by Ju in I to ni- lie oI t e running La , te ~ i cular stairway and the third- floor balcony as well as the gym floor. Even the crude over- head lighting, augmented by Finch and Jennifer Riopelle to stage' lights, was put to good FUNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DANCE COMPANY with THE UNIVERSITY PHILHARMONIC and the CONTEMPORARY DIRECTIONS ENSEMBLE Elizabeth Weil Bergmon's THE PLANETS by Gustov Holst _ _ Goy Delonghe's LA CREATION DU MONDE by Darius Milhaud ._ ._.__ ..._. ___.q~...- ..... i I POWER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS DECEMBER 10, 11 at 8:00, DECEMBER 12 at 3:00 Tickets at Power Box Office and Hudson's A o k HOW TO GET RID OF (or sell) YOUR FALL TERM BOOKS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING? Just lake advantage of the Michigan Daily Classified Book Drive to some pretty music. rrOMORROW, for a change of pace, check out Meg Chris- Tonight at 7:00 & 9:05 tian's 8:30 performance in East MA A" Quad. She's a feminist singer and songwriter 'with an album out on Olivia Records. You can get tickets at the door or at " either Discount Records or A Woman's Bookstore, (225 E. Lib- erty) for $3. This Friday through Sunday2 ! hw the University Dance Company and School of Music will pre- " miere original dance versions of Gustav Holst's The Plants ande Pn4 Darius Milhaud's La Creation du Monde, in the Power Cen- Tonight at 7:00 & 9:00 -.._......* _-. ._._ .._, . I W ALT D S E n w.n C" ' r. r1lY rrrrrrrr r Yr I IIIIY -i sz ',,, ., i -- IiM §> 3 !i ? :: 303 South State Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 313/668-7652 One of America's Finest Bookshops PASSAG ES. I PREDICTABLE CRISES OF ADULT LIFE By GAIL SHEEHY WHERE? Stop in at the Michigan Daily 420 Maynard Street HOW? Fill ut an order form listing your name, phone-number, and the course number. We will place that information in the proper department category, and your ad will run for 3 days-unless your books sell any sooner COST? Just $1.00 for three days. Pre-payment required. WHEN? Beginning immediately at the onset of Winter Term-January 7th. ART I "SEX TEEN" AND "FANTASY IN BLUE" ART 11 A i'oadoap of adult life, indicating the perdictable passages we take through our Twenties, Thirties, Forties, and beyond. "The hope, wit and de- m'ythification of adulthood that permeates Sheehy's book makes Passages a work of revelation."-front page, Washington Post Book World. "Provokes the A Fine Gift $10.95 at most Bookstores $9.86 at Borders i srrrr+frr+r ri+r " ' + + + + + + " r R f f i r" 1+f 1 r r r i r i "! frrrrr rira s ! "f rr " r i r r r 4 ff r r r ++r ' + +++ +++rrr+r+r°sr+'!'+' ++++++ + Y r f + +' r++r + " + r f f + +++ ++ +++r f'I+r r+r++ I I