Wednesday, May 5, ,1976
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Seven
Wednsda, My 5,197 TH MICIGA DALYPeeve
Copland a smash at Hill
(Continued from Page 6)
sharpness makes it sound lack-
luster, as though the need for
hollowness eliminates the need
for life. And he gave a full and
lively performance of it.
He followed with Barber's
School for Scandal Overture,
which was composed as a grad-
uation thesis at the Curtis In-
stitute of Music. It takes its
spirit from the Sheridan play,
though its dazzling melodic and
tonal techniques are suggestive
of the twentieth century rather
than the eighteenth. The rendi-
tion heard at Hill on Friday
was clear, precise, and fun. It
is evident that, while hammer-
ing home the Americana pres-
ent in all the music, Copland
and the Festival directors did
not lose their sense of perspec-
tive, for this was pure enter-
tainment.
The next selection was Ives'
Decoration Day, one of the
works that employs a style
thought of now as typically his.
The themes are piled one on
top of another, varying har-
monically, like some kind of
mad round. As the superimposi-
tion becomes more muddled, a
new kind of sound emerges
from the dissolution of the rest.
Ives can be played by anyone;
that is the beauty. The mis-
takes made (if any) would all
sound invariably correct. This
performance was, as far as I
could tell, fine.
Copland's Clarinet Concerto
closed the program, and it was
prhaps the only dull spot in
the evening. Not that the work
is bad - but it lacks the ac-
cessibility that marks Copland's
famous ballets (Billy the Kid,
Rodeo, El Salon Mexico, Appa-
lachian Spring), and as such,
lacks the brand that marks a
piece as Copland. This doesn't
make for inferiority, necessar-
ily, just unfamiliarity. But I
would go on record as saying
that this is one of Copland's
less - interesting works alto-
gether. The clarinetist, Michael
Webster, certainly didn't seem
interested; at any rate, he
wasn't a very careful perform-
er. There were some notes
that were off, and some breaths
where there oughtn't to have
been, and . . .
Well, we returned from the
intermission to hear one of the
finest - crafted pieces of
American "serious' or "classi-
cal" music that has been writ-
ten, given an absolutely exem-
plary performance by the Phil-
adelphia Orchestra. I am speak-
ing of the New England Trip-
typch by Schuman. Each of the
three movements evoked an
American mood: from quietly
lovely to brash and frontiers-
sy - and with what intelligent
orchestration! what performing
finesse! what spiritual under-
standing in the direction! But
that wasn't difficult - Copland
and Schuman are both New
Englanders, and I venture that
of American music, Copland
understands this best of all.
Then on to The Tender Land,
in opera by Copland. The text
of the last two sections was
sung by the Festival Chorus;
the mood evoked was similar to
the aim of Appalachian Spring
- rural celebration.
The audience wouldn't let
Copland go after the concert.
One ovation followed on the
palms (so to speak) of anoth-
er, and the second time around
everyone was standing up, in
accordance with the rules.
Oh, of course he deserved
it. It was a well-chosen pro-
gram, a fine evening of per-
formances, and after all, he is
Aaron Copland.
By NANCY COONS
As the final notes of two eve-
nings with the Philadelphia or-
chestra were sounded, I would
have jumped to my feet to ap-
plaud, but I was much too weak
in the knees. Conductor Eu-
gene Ormandy closed the sec-
ond concert of the annual May
festival with Death and Trans-
figuration, proving that Chica-
go is not the only American
orchestra that can do justice
to the glories of a Strauss tone
poem.
Perhaps the horns could
have been a bit "meatier" in
the Strauss, but they had prov-
en themselves the evening be-
fore as sensitive and refined
classicists in Haydn's Syrn-
phony No. 31, the "Hornsignal".
One of the most chellenging
works in eighteenth - century
'orn repertory, the symphony
required principal Mason Jones
to slip delicately to high notes
r'rely heard on the instrument
in orchestral music.
As well as the orchestr 's
o'svlsr standbys, which in-
See MAY, Page 10
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HITCHCOCK AT HIS BEST
From the
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ALFRED HITCHCOCKS
KA REN BLACK -BRUE [)ERN -BAR AIA IARRIS
WILLIAM )E\ANE" a I N i.IAM-I, EMSTN LEhMA
I IIAIN IRMN I BAIERN", DCIT O ANNINi
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- T etruc ttory Iof KJillmKimont
I Ilie AmericaO(lymapic
ski contender whose tragi fall
look everything but her life.
And who found the courage
to live throughl the love of one
very special man.
THE 0THER SIDE OF
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He cheated with mone
and with ove... F;
but now... lie was -
gamblinq
with his life
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