Page 6-Wednesday, July 11, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Guitarist's strains
By GERARD PAPE fluid. This moody, stately piece did not
Carlos Barbosa-Lima, the interna- suffer for lack of clarity, and one could F
tionally famous Brazilian guitarist, observe the agile guitarist firmly and
opened the University Musical intensely moving from chord to chord.-
Society's Summer Fare Series in ALBERT HARRIS' 1951 "Sonatina" f
Rackham Auditorium Monday evening. was next. Barbosa-Lima proved to be y
While his playing in the first half of the equally facile with the fast and slowt
concert seemed mainly to highlight his sections of this work. Again, precision t
disciplined technical expertise, the was the key characteristic-never an y
second half revealed Barbosa-Lima's ambiguous note; the playing intense, r
range of expressiveness. but not overly emotional.1
The program opened with Santor- Barbosa-Lima's transcriptions of five
sola's "Prelude in Ancient Style." This Scarlatti harpsichord sonatas followed.
piece, written in 1945, is a neo-baroque They were the highlight of the first half.
composition. Barbosa-Lima executed it Barbosa-Lima's combination of
in a manner that was both precise and precision and clear contrapuntal ex-
EDUESAY MONDAY GT IS ADULTS IR.,ST.,SUN.
'"DEDA S GUEST NIGHT" EVE. a NOUDATS $3.50 X
"BARGAIN DAY" TWO ADULTS MOI.-TNUH.EVI. $3.00
1.50UNTILS:30 ADMITTEDFOR THE AllUMATINEES $2.50t
$15 Nl :0 PRICE OF ONE CNILD TO 14 $1.50
-4 . iest
MON, TUE, THUR. FRI 7:20-9:30 MON. TUE, THUR, FRI 7:30-9:30. 1
1:15-3 20 5 25 7 30 9:35 1:30.3:305:30-7:30-9:30
-xuk
fluid and precise
pression were just right for these
baroque masterworks. Especially im-
pressive were the virtuosic speed and
agility he displayed in the last of the
five, as well as the particular flourish
with which he played all the ornamen-
tation (trills, etc.). The transcriptions
themselves demonstrated how these
works benefit from the resonance and
richness of guitar as opposed to har-
psichord sounds. The only fault one
could find in the execution of these
works, and perhaps of the first half
pieces in general, was a somewhat stiff
and mechanical feel to the playing at
times.
Bach's "Andante and Allegro from
Violin Sonata #2" concluded the first
half. Again, the transcription seemed
richer and more fluid than the original.
Especially well performed was the
Allegro section which featured some of
Barbosa-Lima's fastest, smoothest,
most legato playing.
THE SECOND HALF opened with
Ponce's "Theme Variee." From this
piece on, Barbosa-Lima's playing
seemed looser and warmer. His
technique was just as good, but judging
from his facial expressions, he seemed
to be allowing himself to feel the music
more.
The "Three Etudes" by Mignone and
the "Sonata" by Ginastera were both
written for Barbosa-Lima. The first of
the three eludes (#5) stood out for its
exquisite sadness and passionate
longing. Barbosa-Lima seemed to be
pushing the guitar to its limits of inten-
sive expressiveness. The other two
etudes, while interesting melodically,
seemed to be more traditional exam-
ples of the form, that is, i.e. studies in
difficult and fast playing.
Ginastera's "Sonata" concluded the
program. At times, Barbosa-Lima
Caries Barbosa-Lima
Guitarist
Rackhm Auditorium
July 5
Works by Santorsola, Albert Harris, Scarlatti, J.
S. Back, Ponce, Mignone, and Ginastera
would use the guitar as a rhythm in-
strument, tapping at the wood. He ob-
tained a full range of sounds by sliding
his fingers over a string and plucking at
the strings above the top of the guitar
neck. The piece was very interesting
rhythmically as well. Barbosa-Lima
executed all special effects in his usual
delicate and subtle way. The piece con-
cluded with a half-strummed, half-
finger-picked finale that was both in-
tense and exciting.
This quite enjoyable evening of Bar-
bosa-Lima concluded with encores of
Villa Lobos' "Prelude #2" and Savio's
delicate "Little Music Box."
A. Fiedler
dead at 84
BOSTON (AP) - Arthur
Fiedler, the zesty showman who
brought classical music to
millions as conductor of the
Boston Pops, died yesterday at his
Brookline, Mass. home, a Boston
Pops spokesman said.
The 84-year-old maestro, who
had remained vigorously active
until the past year, died at 7 a.m.
at his home, Pops spokesman
Larry Murray said.
On June 5, Fiedler suffered a
heart attack, his fifth since age
44. The hospitalization was the
latest in a series of illnesses that
began with surgery to relieve
pressure on his brain in Decem-
ber, 1978.
Fiedler opened his 50th season
with the Pops in May. But a few
days later, he collapsed
backstage and spent several days
in the hospital suffering from
exhaustion.
FIEDLER BECAME conduc-
tor of the Boston Opos Orchestra
in 1930, and in the years that
followed, he molded it into a
Boston institution that lovingly
fed classical music to people who
swore they did not like classical
music. His intention was to bring
people into the hall to hear Souse
and send them away humming
Mozart. He believed that he suc-
ceeded.
For 10 weeks each spring,
Fiedler channeled the sometimes
forbidden virtuosity of the Boston
Symphony into the musical tastes
of the "average guy." For most
people, he was thePops.
Arthur iedler
With his stern military
mustache and flowing white hair,
he led the orchestra through
bouncy mixtures of light classics,
show tunes, and Top 10 hits.
When not conducting Pops
concerts in Boston, Fiedler
traveled throughout the world
leading local orchestras. His
schedules would have been num-
blingly exhausting for most men
half his age. For instance, in 1976,
at age 82, he made 164 appearan-
ces outside of Boston.
Fiedler was born Dec. 17, 1894,
in Boston, the son of Emanuel
Fiedler, the Austrian-born first
violinist with the Boston Sym-
phony. In 1910, the family moved
to Berlin when his father retired.
Young Fiedler went there to
school at the Royal Academy of
Music. But as World War I ap-
proached, he returned to Boston,
there to remain for most of the
t rest of his life.
. 1 _~ F'.'4 :7 "' ",i."-. T.T'4' '4 ,."-0' "Pz:'a..:.',a . v g , .a. a e x , a c = '.: s ?-. F . 9.