ARTS
Friday, January 31, 1986
The Michigan Daily
Page 7
New directions for Detroit Symphony
By Rebecca Chung
T HIS SUNDAY afternoon, at 2:00
p.m., the Detroit Symphony Or-
hestra will be performing at Hill
Auditorium, giving Ann Arborites a
chance to hear Music Director Gun-
ther Herbig lead the organization. On
the program are Ritual and Incan-
tations by Hale Smith, the Lalo Cello
Concerto (Heinrich Schiff, soloist),
and Robert Schumann's Symphony
No. 3, the Rhenish.
Over winter break, I had the oppor-
tunity to speak with Ervin Monroe,
principal flutist of the DSO. Our con-
*versation centered upon the direction
the orchestra is taking under Maestro
Herbig.
MD: What is the difference bet-
ween a conductor and a music direc-
tor?
ERV: The music director is really
supposed to run the whole show. He's
in charge of personnel, in charge of
hiring and firing . . . but he also sets
the whole tone of what goes on in the
organization.
Some conductors take the role of
music director but, basically, they
don't want to be bothered. They don't
want to build an orchestra that's their
orchestra with their
They come in, conductt
and leave. There are o
come in and say, "th
chestra, I want things t
Even when the music
here, the way we play
on him. This is what<
directors don't realize
directors do, and I thin]
a good music director.I
he's earned the right
demanding.
ERV: The one thing
big) has instilled in the
sense of striving towa
He's always telling usi
ter, it has to be better
whole philosophy. He
chestra working towar
Personally, it's very
of us now that his repe
He has not done a Fre
But that's not all bad,
why is that we get a to
ductors. He does some
he does the Bruckne
great, the Mahler symp
And let's face it. .
Paray was here, the g
of French repetoire,
personality. Brahms symphony at all. So you'll' exactly sure what he is allowed to do
their concerts, always run into that with conductors - or not allowed to do. . . let's face it, a
ether guys who the Boston Symphony, when Munch conductor in an Iron Curtain country
hris is mY or- was there, was all French (Herbig is from East Germany) can
s treat musicians a lot differently than
o run this way Since 1950 until now, we've only had they're supposed to treat musicians in
three eras. We had the Paul Paray era this country. I think that he's trying to
director is not . . . the orchestra did a lot of recor- find out those differences.
is a reflection dings with Mercury; they had a
a lot of music reputation as a fine French orchestra.
Good music Then we went with the Dorati thing,
k that Herbig's very flamboyant, very fiery . . . in a O u tlaw s I
In that regard, sense, the orchestra was very much
to be pretty like Dorati - it was up and down.
Some concerts were really great, and FACT AND FICTION, reality and
some really weren't (laughs). We did legend - all come together in
that he (Her- some very fine recordings with him - David Freeman's Jesse and the Ban-
orchestra is a now that I've been able to get away dit Queen, opening tonight at the Per-
ard perfection. from them and hear them again, I formance Network. As the title
it could be bet- realize that we made some great suggests, Jesse and the Bandit Queen
... this is his recordings with that guy, in spite of is a play about the relationship bet-
's got the or- there being so many traumatic even- ween Jesse James and Belle Starr,
d that end. ts, with him exploding and the temper famous outlaws of the post-Civil War
obvious to all tantrums. I'm hoping we'll be able to West.
toire's limited. do some great things with Herbig. Though it is well known that Jesse
ench work yet. The problem with getting contracts James was involved with bank and
and the reason is that the conductor has to get the stage coach robberies and that Belle
t of guest con- contract. That's always the way it is . Starr was involved with hor-
e things great, . . the general public does not under- sestealing, much of what is known of
er symphonies stand that it is the conductors that
phonies great., sell records, not the orchestras. It's
. when Paul not so easy to get.
reat conductor There are definitely times in the or-
couldn't do a chestra that I realize that he is not
The bottom line with Herbig, and
the reason why I respect him - and I
really do respect him - is that I
always feel that he's trying to do his
best. He's always prepared, has
always really thought out what he's
doing. Whether it's wrong or right is
beside the point; his professionalism
is very apparent. There are juste
many, many conductors out there who'
come out with "Okay, whaddar we
doing today? Let's have a little of this
a little of that. . ." that's the way they'
do everything. Herbig is very
prepared and very professional about
everything he does.
of the Old West hit
l
F
their actual lives still remains myth.
"There isn't really a plot," says
director David Bernstein, instead the
play contains many "vignette scenes
portraying incidents from their
lives." Although it essentially is a
two-character play, actors James
Moran and Judith Ottmar assume
other characters as well.
"It's not like a western movie,"
Bernstein says, "but there is a bit of
murder and incest and robbery. And a
lot of sexual innuendo."
"There is also a lot of comedy, but
the play is definitely somewhat of an
experimental play as it doesn't fit into
a specific genre."
Jesse and the Bandit Queen is the
story of the relationship 'between two
very individual people against the
backdrop of the old West and the
American Frontier.
Jesse and the Bandit Queen opens
tonight at the Performance Network,
408 W. Washington, and will be
followed by a reception. The show will
continue every Thursday-Sunday
through February 16. Performances
begin at 8 p.m. Thursdays through
Saturdays and at 6:30 p.m. on Sun-
days. For ticket info call the Perfor-
mance Network .
--Lauren Schreiher
Out of Eclipse
By Marc S. Taras
OTAM FOND of referring to tran-
safrican social music or "Jazz" as
"the music of life itself." The
dynamic elements of change and
challenge, and endless surprises
abound. Now and again people have a
chance to witness the birthing
process. This weekend at the beautiful
of Treetown will have just such an op-
portunity to hear new traditions a-
borning. A group of young lions who
are known collectively as Out Of The
lue (OTB) kick off the Eclipse Jazz
winter concert series with a Saturday
evening performance at teh beautiful
Ark. There are new faces and new
sounds in this band, but it didn't exac-
tly occur as spontaneously as the
group name would suggest. Dues
were paid and arrangements made.
Blue Note records has long been in
the forefront of the jazz music scene.
The label has always strived to bring
young players together and to
romote them vigorously. This is the
case wit OTB. And the band does Blue
Note proud. Check out their collective
experience.
Michael Philip Mossman is a
serious trumpeter hailing from
Philadelphia who has scorched ears
and caressed them with equal verve
as a member of Roscoe Mitchell's
Sound Ensemble. He has worked in
the big bands of Hampton and Basie,
and toured Europe with Anthony
:Braxton. Kenny Garrett has
established a well-deserved
reputation on alto sax training with
Mel Lewis, Dannie Richmond, Woody
Shaw and many others. He's sweet.
His partner on tenor sax is
Canadien Ralph Bowen. He has
worked and studied with Dave Baker
among others. Harry Pickens isa
long and lanky pianist who first
came to my attention when he was
touring with Chico Freeman a couple
of years back. He has great ears and
terrific technique which have earned
him a steady gig with the great John-
ny Griffin. The rhythm section is
completed with Detroit native Robert
Hurst (a veteran of Hank Jones and
Freddie Hubbard groups) on bass,
and drummer Ralph Peterson, Jr.,
who lights fires for Jon Faddis' group.
Not only do these cats have a collec-
tive experience that would leave your
ears bronzed, not only do they play
great and solo with power and smarts,
not only do they show tremendous
group sensitivity.. . but they all seem
to write as well as they play. Their
debut release OTB features com-
positions from every member except
pianist Pickens. From what I've
heard, he'll likely pen a few good ones
too.
It happens once in a while, as I have
said. This Saturday night at 8:00, the
Ark and Eclipse Jazz play host to the
new kids on the block. I know for a
fact that they'd all like it if you would
come out to play. That's certainly the
reason that these hep cats have come
Out Of The Blue to "A-Two". To play.
See you there.
Twist and
shout
W ITH A SPANKING new Warner
Bros. record deal under their
long leather belts, Minneapolis'
Husker Du will be bringin' it all to the
motor city this Friday for two big
shows at Traxx.
Hot on the heels of their final in-
dependant album, Flip Your Wig, the
band has become a favorite of critics
and fans alike with their unique and
highly charged fusion of soaring
melodies and densely layered
metallic fury.
Opening the shows will be another
Minneapolis act, Soul Asylum, who,
following in the American rock
tradition of the Huskers and the MC5
etc., have been turning many a head
with their powerful live and vinyl per-
formances. Their last stop in Ann Ail-
bor was last summer when they
opened for the Replacements at the
Nectarine Ballroom.
Due to the band's increasing
popularity, fans will have not one but
two chances to rock with the Huskers,
with doors opening at both 5:30 and
9:30. Their Traxx appearance last
spring was undoubtedly one of 1985's
finest shows, and with lots of quality
new material, tonight's performance
will certainly offer more of the same.
-Rob Michaels