4 ARTS Thursday, March 30, 1989 The Michigan Daily Page 8 'U' brings Mozart to masses Fossils they ain't 4 BY AMI MEHTA FOR those of you that think opera is a bunch of obese people dressed in robes singing in really high voices in a foreign tongue to a sto- ryline which makes absolutely no sense, think again. In four perfor- mances, the University School of Music Opera Theater will present The Marriage of Figaro, an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and will try to clear up most of these. operatic stereotypes. One of the most popular and of- ten performed of Mozart's operas, this story is based upon a comedy written by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais entitled La Folle Journie or Le Marriage de Figaro ("The Crazy Day" or "The Marriage of Figaro"). This work was such a great success in Vienna when it was first produced in 1786 that Emperor Joseph II had to issue a decree pro- hibiting the lengthy encores. But, as well received as this opera was, it caused Mozart to suf- fer the loss of his higher class pupils and a chance at obtaining an eminent post on the Court. This was due to its satire of aristocratic morals and behavior. The aristoc- racy and high court officials were traditional setting using an English translation very faithful to the original Italian text. All of these different facets together make this a unique style of opera well worth watching and hearing. This combination of elements falls under the direction of Jay Lesenger who has worked on more than two dozen productions with the New York City Opera. This is Lesenger's last production as a full- time director at the University, and he plans to make it his best show ever. According to him, the show combines humor and an essence of reality. And since the opera is about young people, it is fitting that stu- dents are performing it. "They bring a refreshing youthful quality to the work," said Lesenger. On the whole, The Marriage of Figaro incorporates a conventional operatic style with refreshing innovation -that makes this perfor- mance a must-see from beginning to end. This show is definitely not over until the fat lady sings! THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO will run March 30 to April 2 at the Mendelssohn Theater. Tickets are available at the Michigan League. Dinosaur Jr. play live all over you tonight Figaro (Scott Jussila) embraces Susanna (Laura Lamport) in The Marriage of Figaro. not pleased with this mockery of 18th century feudal rights and privileges. University audiences, however, should be pleased with The Mar- riage of Figaro, which will be sung by graduate and undergraduate voice students accompanied by the Uni- versity Symphony Orchestra con- ducted by Gustav Meier. The uncut version will be performed in its BY MIKE RUBIN C HANDELIERS will be swinging and ear drums will be bursting tonight at the Beat as SST recording artists and Amherst, Massachusetts natives Dinosaur Jr. make a hastily arranged return visit to the tree-lined and skateboard-free streets of Ann Arbor. Originally scheduled to per- form in the underground music mecca of Lansing, Mich., promoters in the state capital weren't able to get their act together, allowing college radio's favorite Triassic trio to bring their army of Marshall stacks back to the miniscule stages of the Parking Structure Capital of the World. Despite their moniker, Dinosaur Jr. are far from being the fossils their name might suggest. In fact, at this stage of the independent la- bel/underground music evolutionary time line, no band has more success- fully melded together 1970s hard rock structures with a 1980s underground approach than this detached and disaffected bunch. On their three LPs (and an EP cover of Peter Frampton's "Show Me the Way"), ear-tickling melodies coexist uneasily with cochlea-crushing guitar skronk, while simultaneously namby and gnarly grooves are shredded with sheets of white noise, creating an exciting sense of pure pop at war with itself. Vocalist/guitarist J. Mascis gives new meaning to the word laconic, a I 4 Dinosaur Jr. (left to right, J. Mascis, Murph, and Lou Barlow) will try to shrug off the letdown of not getting to play Lansing as they bring their primal scream therapy to the Beat. A CLASS ACT I N LINE FOR, '89 --I Michigan Daily ARTS 763-0379 psychedelic latch-key kid with a voice like Neil Young on nitrous oxide who sings/whines just barely enough to be heard over the thunder- ous Brontosauran roar of his own riffing. Add to this sonic stew bassist Lou Barlow's tape manipulations and cut-ups, and this is a group that makes "volume" a double entendre. Since their last local appearance in September 1987, the band has un- dergone a well-documented name change (tacking on the "Jr." in the face of a lawsuit from a bunch of crusty '60s holdovers calling them- selves the Dinosaurs), toured Europe and Great Britain, where the group became the darlings and dartboards of the music press, and recently released Bug, their follow-up toYou're Living All Over Me, the best American in- dependent record of '87. While not a significant progres- sion from the previous album, Bug is certainly no FrisbeeTM, being per- haps the best "treading water" disc in recent memory. Each song on the record leaves an indelible imprint on the humming center of the brain, from the opening hook of "Freak Scene" to the metal muscle-flexing of "Let It Ride" to the gentle fresh- water breeze of "Pond Song" to the album-closing climax of "Don't," the ultimate anthem for the alienated and unrequited everywhere, a ten-megaton blast of feedback frenzy and tortured tonsils as the words "Why don't you like me?" are screamed over a aural landscape that resembles an emo- 4 I See Fossils, Page 9 '87-88 On Sale Now! Michigan Video Yearbook Form of Payment: O Check OVisa 0 Mastercard Format: OVHS Send to: Name. Address. City OBETA Senior Pledge Program -The University of Michigan 996-2747 uburba n POMTIAt * CADILLAC HONDA With our special finance plans for college students your future is affordable. Come in and test State Zip Phone# Payment: '87-'88 Michigan Video Year $25.00 Send this card and payment Michigan Video Yearbook P.O. 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