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Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 7, 1988
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Opera's greatest hits
BY LEAH LAGIOS
TONIGHT, the Power Center will host one of the
most exciting and elegant parties in Ann Arbor - a
delightful concert featuring excerpts from some of the
world's best-known operas.
"Some Enchanted Evening at the University of
Michigan" has been organized jointly by the School of
Music and Business Administration, the Rackham
School of Graduate Studies and the College of Eng-
ineering.
Seven members of the School of Music voice
faculty will perform highlights from operas such as
Verdi's Othello, Puccini's Tosca and Turandot, Bi-
zet's Carmen, Mozart's Don Giovanni, and Strauss's
Die Fledermaus. Associate Professor of theater Philip
Kerr will narrate the program. But the performance
should satisfy more than just opera lovers - the
University of Michigan Choir, singing selected choral
pieces, and the University Symphony Orchestra,
conducted by Gustav Meier, will also enhance the
evening's music.
From the dimmed Power stage, guests will move to
the Rackham Building, where the festivities will
t
reconvene on the first through fourth floors with live
music, dancing, and a buffet dinner. Marilyn Breiter,
head of publicity for the event, said that, "at the party,
there will be students performing as jazz musicians and
as dancers at the disco."
"The purpose of this gala is to fund the Presidential
Graduate Fellowship," said Breiter. The fellowship is
being established in honor of James Duderstadt, newly-
inaugurated University president. It will be awarded
each year on a rotating basis between the Schools of
Business Administration, Music, and College of
Engineering.
SOME ENCHANTED EVENING AT THE UNIVER-
SITY OF MICHIGAN begins at 8 p.m. at the Power
Center. Tickets for the performance in and the dinner
and party at Rackham are available for $35, $75
(sponsor), and $250 (Benefactor). The $75 and $250
tickets include a tax deductible gift to the Presidential
Graduate Fellowship. For information call the School
of Music Development Office at 763-1478. Special
student seating to the Power Center performance only
is also available for $6 with I.D. at the Michigan.
Ticket Office. Call 764-0450.
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Lavin leads with
her lyrical levity
Singer mixes]
BY MARK SHAIMAN
H
Europe on less than $10 a day
BY LISA MAGNINO
SO you think you're cosmo-
politan. Planning on trekking across
"the continent" next summer, Eurail-
pass in hand, backpack slung across
your shoulders, hopping trains,
planes, and automobiles - all in
search of that unique style they call
"Eumpean"?
For a preview of your trip (or, if
you're like me, an cheap alternative),
journey over to the First Baptist
Church, at the corner of North State
and Huron, for Ars Musica's
presentation of A Grand Tour of the
Continent: Excerpts from the
Musical Diaries of Doctor Charles
Burney.
Forget Let's Go Europe - your
tour book for this trip promises to
be infinitely more interesting. The
musical diaries chronicle the life of
Charles Burney, an 18th century
English astronomy writer, com-
poser, performer, music historian,
and teacher. He traveled in all the
right circles, with the likes of King
George III, Boswell and Johnson,
Rousseau, Diderot, Captain Cook,
and most of the principal composers
of Europe.
But the diaries are much more
than an itinerary of Burney's travels.
They became the basis of his famous
work, the General History of Music,
a classic historical work that con-
tinues to cast a thorough look at
both 18th century music and culture.
The program intersperses selections
from his diaries with works of his
contemporaries as it journeys
through the music of 18th century
Europe.
The tour begins in France with
music from Jean-Philippe Rameau
and moves to Italy with works by
Alessandro Bezozzi, Giovanni Bat-
tista St. Martini, Arcangelo Corelli,
and Mozart (bet you didn't know he
was Italian).
After a brief respite (perhaps for
some vino and cannoli) you'll travel
to Germany and Austria for music
from the father-son combo of Carl
Philipp Emanuel and Johann
Christian Bach, followed by
Christoph Willebald Gluck and
Georg Philipp Telemann.
Feeling a little tired? That's
understandable - it is a whirlwind
tour, but it could be worse - you
don't have to deal with jet lag and
you don't have to bring any
Dramamine.
A GRAND TOUR OF THE
CONTINENT departs at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday at the First Baptist Church,
corner of Huron and North State.
WN HEN Christine Lavin was at the
Ann Arbor Folk Festival last Jan-
uary, she brought good news and bad
news. The bad news was that she
wasn't able to sing because of a sore
throat; the good news was that she
was going to perform. Armed with
two batons, she launched into a
twirling routine, accompanied by a
recording of her thoughts: "Did I turn
the oven off?... That guy in the
fourth row is cute!... I hope I don't
screw this up. '
I still don't know if the sore
throat was just a ruse so she could
demonstrate her other talents, but it
did give her a chance at stand-up
comedy. And when she does perform
music, her wit finds its way-into that
too. In fact, her integration of songs
and sarcasm has brought about
comparisons to humorist/songwriter
Tom Paxton.
In "Don't Ever Call Your
Sweetheart By His Name," Lavin
recommends using pet names - e.g.
"turtle dove" - so as not to acc-
idently call one lover by the other's
name. She performed the song for
New York Mayor Ed Koch and has
since been banned from Gracie Man-
sion for promoting promiscuity. An-
other song, "Prince Charles," ques-
tions the reasoning behind marrying
into a family that looks like his
does. She doesn't get many U.K.
gigs now.
But Lavin isn't really a trouble-
maker; she's a songwriter. She not
only uses humor in her songs to
make the audience laugh, but also. to
tumor, insight
comment upon contemporary inter-
personal relationships, the most
predominant theme in her music. The
title track from her new album Good
Thing He Can't Read My Mind is a
perfect example of the mix between
humor and metaphor that Lavin
employs. ("I am eating sushi/ when I
do not like sushi/ but he loves sushi
/ and I love him/ I'm poking with a
chopstick/ at a living breathing
4
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The Personal Column
MICHIGAN DAILY CLASSIFIED ADS
Another (Lavin) song,
"Prince Charles," ques-
tions the reasoning be-
hind marrying into a fanmi-
ly that looks like his does.
She doesn't get many
U.K. gigs now.
fishtick/ oh my God/ I think it's
trying to swim." Sure, it's silly, but
it's insightful too.
And like all good folksingers, she
has a serious side. Her "Dakota" is as
strong a musical tribute to John
Lennon as any. And her "Some-
body's Baby" deals with her realiz-
ation that the homeless started out
where everyone else did. I
All sides will be covered Saturday
night, when Christine Lavin will be
performing at the Ark. And again
there is good news and bad news. The
bad news is that the ceiling is too
low for her to twirl; the good news ,is
that she'll probably sing this time.
The Department of Philosophy
The University of Michigan
announces
THE TANNER LECTURE ON HUMAN
VALUES
1988-89
TONI MORRISON
Schweitzer Professor of the Humanities
State University of New York at Albany
UNSPEAKABLE THINGS UNSPOKEN:
AFRO-AMERICAN PRESENCE 1N AMERICAN
LITERATURE
U
w
1H
s
Friday, October 7
4:00 pm
Rackham Lecture Hall
COMING SOON
GYM.
of
ANN ARBOR
- Student discounts
* 7000 square feet
* Over 20,000 pounds of
Olympic free weights
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SYMPOSIUM ON THE TANNER
LECTURE
TONI MORRISON
AMIRI BARAKA
Department of African Studies
State University of New York at Stony Brook
HAZEL V. CARBY
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