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The Michigan Daily Sunday, March 10, 1985 Page 5
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Badura-Skoda: Piano celebration
By Neil Galanter
P AUL BADURA-SKODA is a Vien-
nese musician whose musical roots
lead him all the way back to such Vien-
nad greats as Schubert and Mozart..
And... with a family tree like that it is
understandable why his interpretations
of Viennese music at the keyboard have
been critically acclaimed for over 35
years.
Not only can he weave out the music
of Franz Schubert and Wolfgang
Mozart gracefully, but he is equally
agile with other great repetoire, and his
choice of music for his Rackham
Auditorium piano recital this afternoon
demonstrates that diversity. Music of
J.S. Bach, Alban Berg, and Swiss com-
poser Frank Martin is planned.
Badura-Skoda owes much of his
musical education to the Viennese and
Austrian schools, having been greatly
influenced by such great Austrian
musicians as Edwin Fischer, Hans
Knappertsbusch, and Wilhelm Fur-
twaengler. It was Maestro Fur-
twaengler in 1949 who engaged Badura-
Skoda as a piano soloist and started
what has been a most brilliant career.
He became so well known through
numerous recordings made in the early
fifties that when he first played in the
States in New York City in 1953, his
highest possible unity of musical con-
ception."
Badura-Skoda has written many of
his own cadenzas to several of Mozart's
piano concertos and has reconstructed
Mozart's Rondo in A Major for Piano
and Orchestra which was printed by
Schott, the world famous music
publishing firm. These are just two of
his formidable accomplishments.
Frank Martin, the Swiss composer
whose plans preludes Badura-Skoda
will play this afternoon, has written a
piano concerto which Badura-Skoda
frequently plays. The Piano Sonata of
Alban Berg is the other 20th-century
work that will be featured on the
program, and this choice is perhaps in
honor of the 100th anniversary of the
composer's birth, which is being
somewhat overshadowed by the Bach,
Handel, and Scarlatti 300th anniver-
saries this year.
Badura-Skoda will also put on his bir-
thday party hat and celebrate
generously with performances of two
Bach Partitas for Keyboard in B flat
major and in E. minor. So, with all this
icing on the birthday cake, let us dig in
and 'celebrate Bach and Berg with a
touch of Swiss Romanticism all pinned
up with a touch of Vienese craftsman-
ship. Tickets will be available at the
door before the performance, which
starts at 4 p.m. Prices range from $5 to
$10. My party streamers. and crepe
paper are all set to go!
Paul Badura-Skoda, Viennese virtuoso pianist and conductor, celebrates the
birthdays of J.S. Bach and Alban Berg in his performance at Rackham.
concert was sold out within a matter of
hours after its announcement.
Along with completing his piano
studies in 1948 with special distinction,
he received a special distinction con-
ducting degree. As a conductor, he uses
the tradition from the classical times of
conducting piano concertos right from
the keyboard. Badura-Skoda says he
does it this way "in order to reach the
Gullible 'Gimpel'
to grace Mendelssohn
By Emily Montgomery
GIMPEL THE FOOL may not have the
push of major movie status to con-
tend with Yentl the Yeshiva Boy as
Issac Bashevis Singer's most popularly
known work, still it is probably the most
widely acclaimed. Adapted into play
form by David Schechter, it will be
presented tonight by Hillel Foundation
as part of the Celebration of Jewish Ar-
ts Series.
Gimpel the Fool: is a morality play of
sorts. Its lead character, the self-
proclaimed and then denied fool, Gim-
pel, although decidely a fool, im-
mediately elicits sympathy and iden-
tification from the audience. He goes
through his life believing everything
people tell himand in the end he
becomes the butt of all the villagers'
jokes and pranks.
Gimpel is stupidly credulous and this
leads him into many embarrassing
situations. He is pushed into marrying
the town prostitute. She, of course,
cheats on him, but when Gimpel con-
fronts her about it, he believes her lie.
Gimpel is a fool, true, but in Singer's
society of lying and tricking town-
speople, he rises above as the only
moral character. As Gimpel reasons,
"Better to be a fool all your life than
for one hour to be evil."
David Schechter not only adapted the
story of play form, but he also directs
and will play the lead in tonight's
production. The demanding role of
"Everyone Else" will be portrayed by a
cast of one, Lori Wilner.
Curtain time is 7:30 tonight at Men-
delssohn Theatre. Tickets are $15
student and $30 general and may be
puchased at the Mendelssohn Theatre
box office.
All That Jazz!
Roy Brooks and his Aboriginal Percussion (above) will be appearing
Tuesday night at the Michigan League Ballroom at 8 p.m. This incredible
rhythm orchestra is a must-see for anybody who considers himself a per-
cussionist and features world-class local artists including Tani Tabbal of the
Griot Galaxy and Emile Borde of the Trinidad-Tripoli Steel Band. And as if
that's not enough ... Gil Scott-Heron (below) will be appearing at Joe's Star
Lounge on the same night. Scott-Heron has a long history of political ac-
tivism on the beat and a biting satire that snaps with warm jazz music. Don't
worry, there will be two shows, at 8:30 and 11:00 p.m., in case you want to
catch them both.
Pictured above are David Schechter and Lori Wilner, the stars of Isaac
Bashevis Singer's 'Gimpel the Fool.' The play answers the question: Is it
better to be foolish or evil?
Griffith rejuvenates the soul
By Doug Enders
0)N FRIDAY, SPRING finally arrived.
As the warm winds of the South
embraced winter-wrecked Ann Arbor,
our city once again felt the freshness
and rejuvenation of spirit that it hadn't
had in a very long time. And if you
were at the Ark that night, you were
fortunate enough to hear Spring sing
her songs.
Dressed in a flowing pink and white
outfit, Nanci Griffith looked like Spring
and, with the freshness of her soft-
Texan drawl, she immediately char-
med her audience. After politely
welcoming the crowd, she apologized
for her problems in tuning her guitar,
which she said wasn't her regular one
and so she wasn't used to it yet. "My
regular one" she said, "bit the dust on
Continental Airlines comin' here." The
audience moaned half-heartedly in
sympathy.
With her guitar and audience in tune,
Nanci set off into the first of two sets of
songs in which she painted a picture of
the people, places, and events that had
'shaped her life.
In 'songs like "Daddy Said," and
"Mary Margaret," and "Roseville
Fair," Nanci sang of her energenetic
childhood while growing up in what was
then the small town Austin, Texas. In
one song she wrote: My youth was so
crazy/my heart was so lazy/Love
never could stand me still. For-
tunately, this exuberance never faded
as she grew older. Her energy,
curiosity, and adventuresome free-
spirit, once channeled, became the
tools that made her such a strong song-
writer.
As a performer, Nanci Griffith was
very refreshing to watch. Her lyrical
insight, meditative blends of chords
and notes, and her fluttering voice (like
Emmylou Harris') all were very ap-
pealing, but it was her smile that made
her music sincere and meaningful. She
appeared to be having at least as much
fun as anyone in the audience.
Unlike so many folk artists who sing
of sorrow and despair, Nanci Griffith
sang of the joys of life. It was her
positive fun-loving attitude that in-
stilled good feelings in the hearts of the
audience. Like Spring, Nanci
rejuvenated our souls.
A
day, March 15 _
Fri(
Michigras. Kick-off IHappy Hour
4 00 pm -7.00 pm
$I ad mion
UIlh Miic. 1chigan non
Saturday, March 16
Casino
Pecndleton .Room and al llroom-. Micigan Uion
Battle of the Bands' Final'.
1, -Club
Jaz (lub
E.et begin S:30 pm
S3 general adm~iwo'n
Sunday, March 17
Fashion Show
1200 non - 200 po
$S adminsion I(Includes Buffet Luonch)
Pendleton Room. Mi chgan i.non
MATTHEW BRODERICK IN
A RICHARD DONNER FILM -
e V -
Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox present
MATTHEW BRODERICK
RUTGER HAUER - MICHELLE PFEIFFER
A LAUREN SHULER PRODUCTION
A RICHARD DONNER FILM
"LADYHAWKE" LEO McKERN - JOHN WOOD Story by EDWARD KHMARA Screenplay by EDWARD KHMARA and MICHAEL THOMAS
and TOM MANKIEWICZ Music Composed and Conducted by ANDREW POWELL Photography by VITTORIO STORARO
Consultant TOM MANKIEWICZ Executive Producer HARVEY BERNHARD Produced by RICHARD DONNER and LAUREN SHULER
IPG-131 Directed by RICHARD DONNER REASED BY WARNER BROS.
Read the Signet Paperback ODE ioa i * s o a.s grr;,Rs
FREE SCEENING
MONDAY, MARCH -II
8:000 PM
UNION
TH~E SICfilAI ' ' OO0 ..
-E: *
MULTIGEAR
Ali proceeds go ty
The Multiple sceouis Society
SAT. &
.000
$.0
OFF
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1
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with this entire ad $1.00 off any
$4.00 admission. 1 or 2 tickets.
Good all features thru 3/1 4/85
* . S 0 0 0. 0 0
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"THE HEART OF THE FILM IS THE PERFORMANCE OF RICHARD BURTON"
-Newsweek
JOHN RICHARD
HURT BURTON
GEORGE
ORWELL'S
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