RECORD S1
The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, February 13, 1980-Page 5
MERVYN LEROY'S 1933
GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933
Starring RUBY KEELER, GINGER ROGERS, DICK POWELL, JOAN BLONDELL,
NED SPARKS and GUY KIBBEE. Screenplay by Uniyersity of Michigan's Augry
Hopwood and choreography by Busby Berkeley. With elaborate dance num-
bers, this is easily the best of the Gold Diggers Series and stands in the
front rank of Hollywood Depression-Era-egtravaganzas. Short: BASHFUL
BALLERINA (Imogene Coca does a strip tease).
Thurs.: Fellini's LA STRADA
By ED PRINCE
To many people, the music of Arnold
Shoenberg represents a conscious ef-
fort to dethrone beauty in music.
Schoenberg's music is written in an ab-
stract and highly dissonant style accor-
ding to the twelve tone system of com-,
position which he devised to free music'
from tonality. Though his works and,
Wompositional methods have gained a'
substantial following among modern
composers and theorists, most of his.
music remains unpopular with the
listening public. An exception is his
Gurrelieder, which is represented in a
recent Phillips recording featuring
Seiji Ozawa and the'Boston Symphony.
Though it contains a few hints as to
the nature of Shoenberg's later, better
known dissonant style, Guerrelieder is
far cry from modern music. Written
in the years from 1900 to 1911, it is a
product of late romanticism in the style
of Wagner, Mahler and Richard
Strauss.
In' fact, Gurrelieder represents the
culmination of the late romantic trend
towards musical giantism, and in this
respect is very different from his later
works, which are largely for chamber
ensembles. The work calls for an im-
mense orchestra consisting of 25 wood-
winds, 24 brass instruments, a huge
*body of strings and a fairly large per-
cussion section. Along with this are five
solo singers, three four part male
choruses and an eight part mixed
choir.
UNLIKE MANY other works of the
period which are written for large or-
chestra, Schoenberg's Gurrelieder is
not a loud work. Indeed, there are many
pieces for much smaller orchestra
which- make a much bigger noise.
Schoenberg wrote for such a large or-
chestra so he could write chords and
passages in one tone color, such as for
the oboes alone of the bassoons. The or-
chestral writing is of the utmost
refinement aid delicacy, and except in
a few places it0 not at all, apparent that
such huge forces are used.
Gurrelieder is an immense cantata or
song cycle reminiscent of Mahler's
Klagende Lied and Kindertotenlieder.
.It is set to a text by the Danish writer
Jens Peter Jacobson which describes
the love between King Waldemar and
the maiden Tove. Waldemar and Tove
meet secretly at night until Waldemar's
jealous queen has Tove killed.
Waldemar, in a fit of anger accuses God
of injustice and is condemned to ride
with his vassals in a wild hunt every
night after they die. The music is com-
posed of a series of songs and choral
numbers connected by orchestral in-
terludes.
Schoenberg's method of writing for
voice and orchestra was strongly in-
fluenced by Wagner's music dramas.
Like Wagner, Schoenberg uses leading
motives which represent specific
elements of the story. There are themes
representing Tove, death and nature
among others, and these are often
referred to in the orchestra to
musically underline the text and to
suggest the action which takes place
between the sung numbers. The murder
of Tove is first described in purely or-
chestral terms using the leading
motives. After a rapturous exchange of
songs between Waldemar and Tove, the
orchestra plays an interlude based on
Tove's theme. The music becomes
more and more agitated, and finally
reaches a violent climax which por-
trays Tove's demise.
IPA *ONE respect Gurrelieder
represents a departure from Wagner
and a significant step towards Schoen-
berg's later style. In the section called
"The Summer Wind's Wild Hunt",
Schoenberg dispenses with singing and
uses a technique called sprechgeong. He
has a narrator read the text, but gives
indications as to pitch. The result is a
kind of inflected speech which falls
somewhere between normal speech and
song. Schoenberg later used this
method in such famous works as Pierot
Lunnaire and A Survivor of Warsaw.
Though Schoenberg's. writing is in-
spired and skillful, Gurrelieder is a dif-
ficult work to bring off in concert. Some
of the, orchestral writing is awkward,
especially in a couple of bridge
passages. Some of the choral sections
contain a great number of contrapuntal
parts, and the texture can sound mud-
dled and unclear. None of these
problems are apparent in the new
recording featuring Seiji Ozawa and
the Boston Symphony and soloists
James McCracken, Jessye Norman,
Tatiana Troynos, David Arnold, Kim
Scown and Werner Klemperer.
THE WHOLE performance, which
was recorded at a live concert, is ex-
cellent and a very large part of the
credit goes to Ozawa and the orchestra.
The playing is simply wonderful
throughout. There is clarity and balan-
ce in the most difficult and complex
passsages and the many solo in-
strumental parts are played to perfec-
tion. There is never a hint of awkwar-
dness in the weaker passages and the
stronger music shines. The choral
numbers come through well, too. In the
sections representing Waldemar's men
engaged in their wild hunt, Schoenberg
uses three four-part male choruses
singing in canon. These sections come
off with a great clarity and vigor in the
recording, which is quite a feat on the
part of the recording engineers as well
as Ozawa and the singers.
The soloists are also quite good. Most
noteworthy is Jessye Norman, who
sings what has to be one Of the greatest
Toves ever heard. Her voice has a
fullness and richness that suits the part
of the young maiden beautifully. Her
rendition of the song, "Du sendest mir
ein leibesblick" is especially awe in-
spiring. Here she sings in a hushed,
piano voice of pure, golden tone. James
McCracken sings Waldemar and
Tatiana Troyanos, David Arnold, Kim
Scown and Werner Klemperer sing the
lesser roles. McCracken's performance
is generally good, though he does have
a few slips in intonation. There are no
problems with the other soloists, who
a4l give fine performances.
ALL THESE artists contribute to a
beautiful performance which is surely a
major addition to the list of Schoenberg
recordings. Schoenberg only wrote ugly
music? Gurrelieder is one of the last
great statements of the romantic period
in music and Ozawa's recording shows
how highly Schoenberg valued beauty
in music.
By JAY McCORMICK
Andrei Gavrilov's, exuberant
technique can make a weak concerto
exciting, but it can also detract from
the power of a mature and thoughtful
piece. This dichotomy is evident on his
latestalbum. The Prokofiev Piano Con-
certo No. . is full of buoyancy, alter-
nating with driving passages and loud
musical play. Even in this very early
work, Prokofiev creates beautiful
melodies. The concerto needs to be
played with abandon, for the performer
to forget his/her inhibitions and be
carried away by the piece. If the artist
tries to control the music, it can sink
under its own weight.
Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand in
D needs a completely different ap-
proach. The music comes from a more
mature pen, and though there are
several jazz-influenced passages, a
more cautious performance is needed
here than in the Prokofiev. Gavrilov's
playing best matches the style of the
Prokofiev concerto. He lacks the essen-
tial timing and skilled phrasing that is
necessary to bring off the Ravel. But he
is on familiar turf with Prokofiev, and
with conductor Simon Rattle makes the
music jump off the disc.
PIANIST Gavrilov has a definite
preference for faster tempos; he plays
the allegro sections which begin and
end this one movement concerto with
technical andstylistic brilliance. Rattle
and the orchestra, on the other hand,
follow Gavrilov's lead in the fast
movements well enough, and shine in
the slower parts. Rattle leads them
through the middle andante section
with taste -and inspired phrasing, but
when Gavrilov enters, he pushes the
tempo, straining the conductor's
abilities and the overall beauty of the
concerto.
The more somber portions of this
concerto, mostly found in the andante,
are hard to take seriously; they sound
like passages from Peter and the Wolf
- threatening only on the surface, sin-
ce we know that happiness will soon
return.
THE YOUNG pair balance the piano
and orchestra remarkably well, better
than Prokofiev did in composing the
concerto. The writing for both the piano
and the orchestra is very good, but he
fails to combine or blend the two in any
effective way. The piano dominates a
disproportionate amount of the piece,
but. Gavriloi's playing makes this a
blessing rather than a fault.
Prokofiev's first piano concerto could
be compared to an early Shakespeare
comedy: occasionally unwieldy and
slaphappy, but amazing and enjoyable
because of its. exuberance and
technique. Two short selections for
piano solo from Prokofiev's Romeo and
Juliet fill the rest of the first side of the
album, providing an example of the
composer's more mature works.
Gavrilov proves that he understands
this side of Prokofiev as well. With no
orchestra to hold him accountable, he
plays freely, reflecting the wit and
beauty of Romeo and Juliet with his
phrasing. He times his attacks and
releases flawlessly, making interesting
turns in the music stand out - but not
too far out.
SINCE this album seems to be essen-
tially a showcase for Gavrilov's piano
talent, the choice of Ravel's left-hand
concerto is a little off target. Parts of
the concerto give this technician a
chance to exercise his fingers, but his
lack of experience is evident in sections
where Ravel becomes introspective..
Here -his phrasing makes the music
seem trivial, as if he does not quite
believe in what he is playing.
The orchestra under Rattle has a
similar problem. He fails to control the
orchestra in the low, soft opening, and it
sounds muddy, overdone. Throughout
the first part of the piece, the orchestra
seems to get away from him slightly.
Gavrilov does not catch hold of the
concerto until the driving, march-like
theme, introduced by the trumpets,
arrives at his keyboard. The orchestra
and Gavrilov -snap together with this
theme, but go their separate ways as
other themes and motifs intrude. The
woodwinds interject a light, bouncy,
haunting phrase several times during
the course of the powerful driving sec-
tion. The last time this phrase enters,
after a strong section of piano-
orchestra interplay, the woodwind time
is shrill. Perhaps this is what Ravel
desired here, but Rattle takes it too far.
Towards the end of the piece,
Gavrilov and Rattle seem a bit con-
fused. Admittedly, it takes more than
brilliant technique to keep the balance
at the end of this Ravel concerto. Rat-
tle's allowing the orchestra to drown
out the piano, forcing Gavrilov to
desperately try making his presence
heard by pounding heavily at the
keyboards. He loses articulation this
way, and the piano sounds muffled.
Though his piirasing and dynamics
throughout the piece are stiff, they
degenerate to even lower levels at the
conclusion.
ANOTHER Ravel composition,
"Pavanne pour une Infante defunte"
provides a filler for the album.
Gavrilov plays this on solo piano, and it
sounds again as if he is unconvinced
with Ravel's music. Though he handles
the Prokofiev solo pieces with style and
wit, he lacks extraordinary musician-
ship here.
Gavrilov is the artist who makes this
album worth having. This 23-year-old
virtuoso gives the Prokofiev concerto
an exciting and expert performance.
His energy pulls Rattle and the London
Symphony along with him, and the first
side of this album sparkles with their
energy. But Ravel suffers from their
somewhat slapdash approach to his
music. This Concerto for the Left Hand
in D deserves a thoughtful performan-
ce, and the players cannot afford to
become impatient with it. The phrasing
may be more difficult, but the music
has much more power when played
with understanding.
Be an angel ..
*
Read b
764-0558
CINEMA GUILD
The Anni Arbor Film CoopertiO Presents at Aud. A:
GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS
(Bertrand Blier, 1978) 7, 8:40, & 10:20-AUD. A
From the same people who brought you GOING PLACES, this is the story of a
young man who gives his lethargic wife to another man in an attempt to cheer
her up, only to have her leave them both for a 13-year-old boy. Academy
Award winner for best foreign film, GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS features
absurd humor, a sensational seduction scene and music by Mozart.
And also, at the Michigan Theatre, the Ann Arbor Film
Cooperative Presents:
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13
CASABLANCA
(Michael Curtiz, 1943) 7 & 9:30-Michigan Theatre*
It's still the same old story. HUMPHREY BOGART is Rick, the movies' most
famous saloon keeper, who cooly defies the Nazis and the Vichy government
to-help old girl-friend INGRID BERGMAN. American cinema's most enduring
contribution to romantic myth, CASABLANCA won Academy Awards for Best
Picture, Director and Screenplay. With CLAUDE RAINS, SIDNEY GREENSTREET,
DOOLEY WILSON, CONRAD VEIDT and PAUL HEINREID in supporting roles.
Plus short: TARZANA (Steve DeJarrnet, 1978) A film noir starring Timothy
Carey and Michael C. Gwynne. 35 mm. Admission $2.00.
Tomorrow: The Moysles' SALESMAN and Christian Blackwood's ROGER
CORMAN-HOLLYWOODS WILD ANGEL at Nat. Sci.
f
TONIGHT AT
7:00 & 9:05
OLD ARCH. AUD.
$1.50
.I
A Revelation for Americans
Treasuries of
Ancient.Nigeria
Legacy of 2,000 Wars
This unprecedented loan from Africa's
largest nation contains 100 exquisite
sculptures of bronze, stone, terracotta
and ivory. See Nok heads as.old as
Greece's Golden Age, the first known
West African likeness of an elephant,
and bronze leopards worth $1.000 000
apiece. Marvel at the magnificent
heritage of ancient Nigeria!
The Detroit Institute. of Arts
Now through March 16
ADMISSION: General $2. Students Senior C tWen $1
Members and children under 12 with Adult - Fref
HOURS: Tuesday through Sunday 9:30 a m 30 p<m
US. tour made possible by grants from the Nationa
Endowment for the Arts ,in M bit
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WHAT CAN WE LEARN
FROM THE JAPANESE? (PART 11)
THE CENTER FOR JAPANESE STUDIES
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Announces a
PANEL DISCUSSION
ON
EZRA VOGEL'S
JAPAN AS NUMBER ONE
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JOHN RITTER AVENGER
ANNE ARCMER MAKES
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JOHN C. CAMPBELL, Dept. of Political Science
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Japanese
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The Japanese Company: Employee Satisfaction
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