" THE MICHIGAN DAILY
A rts & Entertainm ent Tuesday, March 2, 1976 Page Five
Menuhin,
Sandor star in concert
number of missed cues, and for Menuhin took the podium for first movement contained some
By JEFFREY SELBST
LAST Saturday night at Hill
Auditorium, Yehudi Menu-
hin applied bow to strings and
produced some of the more mar-
velous sounds heard in the cur-
rent concert world. The oc-
casion was his gratis appear-
ance with the University Sym-
phony Orchestra, along with
Gyorgy Sandor, pianist, in a
benefit for the Music School
Scholarship Fund.
The concert featured Menu-
hin's solo performance of the
Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5,
("Emperor").
:,
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It is no small task to attempt the fact that the orchestra was the Bartok. Here too, the or- regrettable
the performance of a demanding sometimes one or two beats be- chestra, while playing correctly (such as wi
concerto and conduct the same hind Menuhin in the score. in the first and second move- to join the
piece, with one's back turned to adment, did so almost sullenly and dor's marve
the orchestra, yet this is what The tone was also heavyand without life. (A member of the and came i
Menuhin attempted. This per- ponderous. The predominant orchestra commented that their performed
haps accounts for the less-than- strings played certain sections'uncertainty derived from the and rarer
admirable rendition of the Mo- (particularly in the third move- difference in interpretation Men- part of eve
zart by the USO. ment) as though an afterthought. uhin gave the piece from that The first
In that movement, the violin of the conductor with whom they ed with lilt
-- - .at_ n es>u in dia ue with the or-
lapses in timing
hen the orchestra was
piano in one of San-
elous crashing chords,
n late, the piece was
with verve, vitality
musicianship on the
ryone concerned.
movement was play-
and power, the sec-
THEY BEGAN well enough,
with Menuhin directing until his
entrance into the piece. But af-r
ter that point, though the violin
part is characterized by certainj
la sesw hich allowed Menuhin to
and his conducting in the Bar- Lodtwenh asntpaig
ok DiertmentorString conduct when he wasn't playing
tokDivrtient fo StingOr-the orchestra's sense of timing
chestra. The evening culminated fell apart.
in the collaboration of Menuhin
at the podium and Sandor at the ' The piece is as difficult as it
keys in Beethoven's grandiose is lovely; the lack of conductor,
and lovely Piano Concerto No. 5 !was the reason for the great
engage g1 l~'.;CWl 1GU
rehearsed. ond with a virtuosic sad beauty.
chestra. It is a wild and racing And no more can be said of the
interchange, and the orchestra The third movement came third movement than that it was
responded sleepily. Parts of the
second movement came off as a alive, though, in jumps and perfect. A smash ending to a
sire.d embounces. A witty, complex move-' generally good show.
dirge. ment, it contained some of the Sandor has a rare sensitivity
YET MENUHIN'S playing was USO's finest playing. to Beethoven. Beethoven lends
a finely polished stone. It glis- himself greatly to crashing show-
tened, it sang-the poetry of the THE FINAL piece was the manship, and the cues he pro-
piece came through, particularly Beethoven "Emperor" concer- vides for an interpretation of his
in the light, unsentimental, glit- to, with Sandor at the piano and music are subtle indeed. San-
tering cadenzi. Menuhin conducting. Though the See MENUHIN, Page 8
Dance faculty highlights
last Chamber series concert
SCHON PRESENTS
Daily Photo by PAULINE LUBENS
Yehudi Menuhin
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By JOHN MILLER after intermission, Max Lifchitz
THIS SEASON'S FINAL Fac- piano solos which exploited the'
ulty Chamber Concert last various uses of the sostenuta
Sunday marked the debut of pedal rather effectively.
the dance faculty in conjunc- In the last piece, a work
tion with this series, and a wel. composed by the pianist, one
come addition it was. The fu. sensed a feeling of growth aris-
ture concerts will be greatly en- ing out of superficial chaos.
riched if the quality of the Many close notes played rapid-,
dances continues at the high ly up and down joined by the
Pvel established by Gay De- pedal slowly rise upward on the
langhe and Elizabeth Berg- scale and gradually diffused
mann. upon the keyboard before wind-
The afternoon's presentation ing back down to a low, quiet
began with a delightful sonata ending. Lifchitz holds promise
by Franck for - in this case as a significant composer for
- cello, and piano. Samuel the keyboard.
Mayes provided an excellent,
light interpretation befitting the THE CONCERT ended with
dynamic quality of the piece. the two solo dances mentioned
Struss exhibit, films recall
artist-photographer's
genius
was entitled "Portrait for a
Leap Year (1976)". Program
notes remarked: "The work is
a commentary on the ambival-
ence inherent in the woman's
reaction to fundamental choices, I
on the tension between her wil-
lingness to conform to tradi-
tional roles and her desire to
break away from-them."
Set to electronic music, the
dance was handled with superb
control and the tisolation of var-
ious movements conveyed a
subtle unity of emotion. She was
enthralling and passionate, us-
ing one prop - a bench -
skillfully as she breaks away
from this symbol of domestici-I
ty, eventually returning after
a series of crises which trans-
form her.
I heartily approve of this ad-
dition to the Chamber Concerts
and look forward to other works
by members of the dance facul-
ty. The Leap Year Day concert'
ends'this season's programs, but
heralds the advent of an excit-
ing season next fall.
LIVE! ON
STAGE!
By CHRIS KOCHMANSKI
IN ALL OF his photographic work, Karl
Struss is an Impressionist. Whether cap-
turing the distinct charm of New York City
streets in still photography or interpreting
the cinematic visions of Orson Welles and
F. W. Murnau on film, Struss sought first
and foremost to create atmosphere.
Through the efforts of the University's Mu-
seum of Art, Cinema II and local Struss en-
thusiasts John and Susan Harvith, Ann Arbor
witnessed this past weekend a rediscovery of
the 86-year-old photographer's work.
Ninety-six of Struss's most expressive still
photographs currently grace the art museum's
galleries and a mini-film festival of Struss-
photographed works concluded Sunday night
with an appearance by the artist-photographer
himself..
THE STRUSS FESTIVAL is a significant
event since it brings back to the public's at-
tention an artist whose work has long been
scorned by fellow photographers as a "sell-
out" to cheap Hollywood standards.
Struss had built a considerable reputation
in the early 190Qs as a member of the pres-
tigious Photo-Secession, a group of photograph-
ers who focused their attentions, as well as
their lenses on the peculiarities of New York
City.
After World War I, Struss migrated to Cali-
fornia with the expressed intent to shoot Holly-
wood films. Cinematography, he felt, was in
dire need of talent since most cinematograph-
ers "knew nothing about lighting, nothing of
photography."
AND THOUGH HE WORKED with filmmak-
ers as diverse and talented as DeMille, Welles
and Rouben Mamoulian, Struss's reputation suf-
fered with critics who viewed film as sensa-
tional and pandering to public tastes.
His work has long qualified him as a seri-
ous artist, but only today, in his 90th year,
has he been so recognized.
After Sunday night's screening of Sunrise,
the film for which he and collaborator Charlesj
Rocher shared the first Academy Award for}
cinematography in 1929, Struss said that he
always sought to convey the "feel of his story
or subject."
BOTH HIS STILL photography and cinema-
tography are marked by distinctive lighting
which tends to obscure backgrounds but, at
the same time, softens the delineation between
subject and periphery. The effect, which is
consistent through all his work, is to create
a curiously dreamlike vision of reality - one
that stresses atmosphere and dramatic ideas.
Struss's compositions resemble French Im-
pressionist paintings, particularly those of De-
gas. They are as carefully structured and geo-
metrically pleasing as traditional art, but
simultaneously suggest a world existing outside
the boundaries of the frame.
Likewise, Struss's soft lighting and pen-
chant for shooting at twilight create a Monet-
like consistency. In his studies of New York
City, lights appear as fuzzy white balls rather
than the points of light they are. There arej
no blacks, but rather grey or carefully tinted
sepia expanses.
STRUSS RECOGNIZED the two-dimensional
limitations of all photography, and sought to
separate his subjects from their backgrounds
to create a stereoscopic illusion of three-di-
mensionality.
In film, he illuminated characters - or
Jighted only expressive facial features - and
dimmed the rest of the frame, "which after
all," he says, "is of secondary importance
in a fast-moving drama."
In still photography, he rarely contrasted
black and white, but chose rather to offset
lighter shades with darker ones, creating sub-
tle, more pleasing contrasts.
In short, Struss's photography relates im-
pressions - not sharp details - and when
seen as a whole, forms a photographic essay
of the distinctly Strussian vision.
THE INTERACTION between
the cellist and the pianist, Ben-
ning Dexter, became lively and
entertaining in the last of the
four movements where the in-
struments feint quickly with
each other, and the synthesis at:
the end resolves the piece as
well as the movement.
To replace the vocal section
earlier. Delanghe's perform-
ance, set to a piano piece by
Leslie Bassett, was full of ex-
uberent activity and provided:
a good visual accompaniment
to the music. In fact, the dance
was so interesting that I real-'
ized later I hadn't even heard
played a couple of intriguing
the music.
Elizabeth Bergmann's dance,
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Michigan Theatre
Ann Arbor
THURSDAY, MARCH 4-8 P.M.
ALL SEATS GENERAL ADMISSION, $6, avail-
able at the University of Michigan ticket office,
Hudson's and the Michigan Theatre. For infor-
motion on group discounts call 668-8480.
University of Michigan School of Music Presents:
UNIVERSITY
DANCERS
IN POWER
CENTER
featuring: Gay felanghe's
SEVEN DEADLY SINS
Music by William Albright (Seven Deadly Sins)
Doris Humphrey's
BRANDENBERG CONCERTO
Music by Bach (Brandenberg Concerto No. 4)
Elizabeth Weil Bergmann's
FANTASIE.
Music by Vivaldi (Sonata in D Major)
Other Dances by Vera L. Embree
and Guest Artist Montreal Choreographer
Martine Epoque, with The Chamber Ensemble
Soloists of
The Ensemble Nipponia
Thursday, March 4, at 8:30, Rackhan Auditorium
Now on their first United States tour, these Japanese musicians
are inroducing American audiences to the beautiful instru-
ments of ancient Japan-flute, zither-type instruments, and
lutes. Their program to be performed in Ann Arbor this week
includes both traditional and contemporary compositions.
Tickets for this third presentation in the Asian Series are available
at $2.50, $4, and $5.
from the people who gave you "The Jazz Singer"I