ARTS I' The Michigan Daily Sunday, March 10, 1985 Page 5 - ----------------- 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 0__ 0 0 0 1 t . 0M . 0. 0. 0 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 0 0 "THE HEART OF THE FILM IS THE PERFORMANCE OF RICHARD BURTON" -Newsweek JOHN RICHARD HURT BURTON GEORGE ORWELL'S :::..: . ...:....IR ) 1} I