ARTS Thursday, December 9, 1982 :The Michigan Daily Philharmonic simply am Brian Dennehy confronts Sylvester Stallone in a scene from 'First Blood.' Stallone can't shake Rocky image By Robert Cassard A S CARLO Maria Giulini strode out onto the stage of Hill Auditorium Tuesday night, the atmosphere seemed strangely casual. The musicians fidgeted in their chairs and squinted out at the audience and Giulini himself seemed very relaxed. From those first few moments of the concert, the Los Angeles Philharmonic contrasted greatly with the two European or- chestras which have performed in Ann Arbor this season-the Prague Sym- phony and the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig. This American orchestra is different from the others in that it has no formal barriers between it and the music it plays, a fact which was obvious from the first few measures of Schubert's Symphony No. 4 in C minor. Precision and technique, while not forgotten, were subordinated to involvement, spontaneity, and musical "rightness," and a directness lacking in the European orchestras was the result. Giulini's involvement was, amazingly, even more pronounced than the orchestra's. As befits a great maestro, he conducted entirely from memory, standing on the podium with his legs apart as if to gain a better stan- ce from which he could manipulate the orchestra with more control. While the visual impression of his way of beating time was clear and almost mechanical, the sound it produced in the orchestra was free and fluid. In the Adagio the orchestra was like a single body "breathing" under his baton and in the Allegro molto Giulini evoked fiery playing from the entire group-- especially the violas-without overex- tending the limits of Schubert's classicism. The second movement boasted nearly effortless playing from the whole or- chestra. While the ensemble sound was excellent, that sound was characterized by a looseness which managed to bring out the highlights of the music without distorting them. It was obvious that Giulini is a very young, vital 68 and his performance was openly emotional as he sang under his breath, coaxing the orchestra and pushing it to the boundaries of its lyricism. While he was largely suc- cessful, his singing and humming (which went on throughout the concert) was somewhat of a distraction at least to those seated on the main floor. The chromatic and heavily syn- copated Menuetto was very tight rhythmically while it was conducted in a relaxed "one" (i.e., conducting one beat for each three written beats) and the Allegro exemplified the or- chestra's superb dynamic control. The movement was marked by very physical playing in every section of the orchestra, most notably the basses. Giulini chose to stress the Beethoven- like qualities of the music, especially in its sforzandos and other quick dynamic changes. Flawless phrasing in the violins and crisp French horn lines ad- ded to the effect. The sixteenth-note patterns in the middle strings were well-articulated but sounded harsh and tinny. Still, the overall effect of the movement was powerful and it received a good response from the audience. For Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, the orchestra called out its full forces. The piece gave both the musicians and conductor a chance to "stretch out." There was a certain per- fection in nearly every element of the performance and especially in the logical development between sections of varying dynamic levels. Fortissimo passages crept up unnoticeably so that their impact was very dramatic. At times, the Philharmonic's vir- tuosity overpowered its blend. After all, this is a group of highly individual musicians and in fact a group of fine soloists. It is a natural pitfall for this kind of ensemble to experience problems in achieving correct balance and blend, but, in this case, it provided a benefit as well: the first movement contained some of the best brass and woodwind soloing I've heard in a sym- phonic context. Occasionally, Giulini pushed the tone of fortissimos to almost vulgar propor- tions, sacrificing some clarity. At the end of the movement, however, as the tonalities of E-flat and D minor clash head-on with each other, the sound was so assertive that its dissonance was all but forgotten. The Scherzo at first seemed a bit rushed but quickly slowed down as the 'arco' section began. The strings bowed broadly and gave the notes their full value instead of playing them staccato as is usually done. In the "Trio" the strings lacked precision but the audien- ce got to witness an impressive ritual of passing a viola back for restringing while the music continued. The return to the Scherzo utilized a nice lag beat in the brass to make it seem even broader than before. Page.7 azing t Finally, the lengthy Adagio, while obviously carefully rehearsed, came across as fresh and heartfelt. The violins worked in perfect unison and again the solos were beautifully played. After a deafening triple forte climax, the piece ended with a calm and reflec- tive passage of complete serenity. The audience was spellbound. What might have been mistaken for a lukewarm audience reaction-Giulini was not called back for an encore- was actually more a product of the con- cert's sublime finish. The excited chat- ter did not begin until after Giulini had waved goodbye to the crowd. "Simply amazing" was the general consensus. By Chris Lauer V AGUELY resembling a social statement, First Blood is from beginning to end an exercise in hate. Startng from a premise ofa malad- justed Vietnam war hero, played by Sylvester Stallone, the result is another good guy-bad guy shoot 'em movie, complete with fist fighting, machine ,guns, and car chases. Except for modernizing twists, the plot is something everyone can recognize. Harry, a former Green Beret, is reflective and peaceful early on, but is arrested, beaten and humiliated by a small town sheriff and his deputies. It is apparent that the audience has been set up to identify with Harry in his triumphs of rampant violence against "the system." The sheriff is played by Brian Den- nehy, one of those character actors that everyone recognizes on sight buy not by name. His seemingly natural mean look which makes him a standard ingredient in movies and on television, here makes huim the most stereotyped of a cast of stereotypes. Intelligence is left out of this play on emotions. Given a normally quiet small town-why does it have such a large police force? How did it get the high tech police station? How did the police force come to be equipped like a SWAT team? Where did the dobermans come from? Where did the helicopter come from? For all this action, there is very little dialogue. Harry runs through the forest breathing heavily but not saying much. To counteract these long moments of breating, scenes of the sheriff shooting off his mean mouth are mixed in, trading one awkwardness for another. Very little is done to sustain the social theme of the "maladjusted Vietnam veteran." Harry has a few falshbacks, his former colonel shows up, and there is a relevant but pathetic song at the end. First Blood is not as sloppily made as it might sound. It is poor not by sloppy workmanship, but because its suckering intentions under the guise of social comment is offensive and sen- selessly violent. Sylvester Stallone again fails to be in a good non-Rocky movie. STUDENT ACCOUNTS: Your attention is called to the following rules passed by the Regents at their meeting on February 28, 1936: "Students shall pay all accounts due the University not later than the last day of classes of each semester or summer session. Student loans which ore not paid or renewed are subject to this regulation; however, student loans not yet due are exempt. Any unpaid accounts at the close of business on the last day of classes will be reported to the Cashier of the University and "(a) All academic credits will be withheld, the grades for the semester or summer session just completed will not be released, and no transcripts of credits will be issues. "(b) All students owing such accounts will not be allowed to register in any subsequent semester or summer session until payment has been made." J#aPWARAN SURP 201 E. Washington a NOW OPEN SUNDAY OPEN M-SAT, 9- OPEN FRI. 9-8 994-3572 - - -I LUS t Fourth Y! 11-4 6 Holiday Shoppers! 15% OFF ALL MERCHANDISE (Except Sale lfems) Expires Dec. 13, 1982 7u I I1 I El U -- - 'L I YOUR BSN IS WORTH AN OFFICER'S COMMISSION IN THE ARMY. Your BSN means you're a professional nurse. In the Army, it also means you're an officer. You start as a full-fledged member of our medical team. Call your local Army Nurse Corps Recruiter. Or stop by. SFC DAVID HALL 23400 Michigan Suite 408 Dearborn, M 48124 Call Collect: (313) 562-4160 / 15 fN # -r A 3 t , ? WL 4 i; . :.. - E_- r v~\i-o~ TAKE HOME THE ROSE BOWL. On New Year's Day, the 94th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl Game between UCLA and the University of Michigan will capture the imagination of America and much of the free world. These two events, among the oldest and most exciting traditions of our na- tion, will be commemorated in the first annual striking of the Official- limited- release Pasadena Tournament of Roses Silverpiece by the Pasadena Mint. At one Troy ounce of .999 fine silver, this investment-quality Silverpiece is ex- pertly engraved and presented in a spe- , cial display case, along with a certificate of authenticity. Minted for participants, spectators, in- vestors, collectors, and for use by officials at the Rose Bowl Game, this limited edi- tion Silverpiece is available now at $27.95 each. Please allow 3 to 4 weeks for delivery, however, a limited number of the earliest orders will be shipped before Christmas. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. To order, call TOLL FREE, 800-227-1617, Ext. 250 (in California, call 800-772-3545, Ext. 250), or return the coupon below. And own a piece of history you'll value for years to come. PASADENA MINT, INC. P.O. Box 92744 - Pasadena, CA 91109-2744 Please send me Rose Bowl Silverpieces Cz $27.95 each $. Card # Exp. Da te >ar "" E .,. ..