The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 6, 1989 - Page 9 'New World' visionary y V .y .:\' , :{;4 .. ... ...... Y.. :.y1 . ". ;}t" . Kazuhito Yamashita debuts a symphonic guitar BY MICHAEL PAUL FISCHER 'M Y basic wish is to be a pi- oneer," explained Japan's Kazuhito Yamashita (via interpreter) in Octo- b~r 1988's Ovation magazine. "I'm airing for a new age for the guitar." And if,. this young classical aitist's intentions - for a field whose possibilities are still rapidly developing after only decades in the world's concert halls - are indeed *grand, then the way in which this 2D-year-old virtuoso backs up his words is unmatched. On his latest A merican release for RCA Red Seal, Yamashita turns his instrument into aetonal orchestra, performing no less than his own transcription of Dvo- rik's "New World" Symphony No. 9 f&r solo guitar - not only credibly, bit with a wealth of musical vision tlat is immediately convincing. 1If you'll pardon the cliche', Ya- niashita's interpretation - intro- duced to a Vienna audience nearly twvo years ago - is something you simply must hear to believe. Apply- irig astonishing technique, the rising sltar intersperses light touches such a. two-fingered harmonic figures and stunted notes among blazing strums aid simultaneous melodic counter- *p ints. He creates a version which -r because the guitar is incapable of otchestral bombast - actually e;okes a depth of gentle beauty be- yond the symphony's conventional irarnations. Appropriately, the innovative a(tist's first solo tour in the "New W, orld" - which comes to Rackham Auditorium tonight - features the Dvorak piece, revolutionary in its Sotn day for its introduction of Wild West and Native American themes. But by expanding the guitar's repertoire, through his own tran- seription, to involve such "big" pieces as Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition or Stravinsky's Fire- bird Suite, the Nagasaki native hopes to bring about his new age nit through radical experimentation, "}ut through harmonizing with tradi- tipnal music along with something new." His Ann Arbor recital includes works by Sor and J.S. Bach, out of ,the guitar tradition pioneered by the 4egendary Andres Segovia and con- tinued by the established American star Christopher Parkening - who performed a Segovia tribute last night at Hull- Auditorium. -But Ya- nashita's program also features Folios I-III" by Takemitsu, a coun- "yman whose new works Yamashita :wants to introduce; the guitarist's pther projects; include collaborations With ensembles and traditional Japanese instruments, as well as duos with his younger sister Naoko. ;After debiting on the concert stage in Eufope in 1980 (he toured n 1978 through Japan, where he has ,lready relqd&d 40 albums), Ya- *rnashita finally debuted in the ,tNm k.d. la ng: A Star in the making There aren't many Stars today that can tinker with and mildly sub- vert the cultural mainstream. To be enormously popular and actually have something of substance to offer often seem incompatible, and it's only very few of our most potent cultural icons that accomplish both. In the field of pop, the only Mega Star worth considering is Madonna, and there isn't that much competi- tion from younger hopefuls. But soon k.d. lang will be on the cover of every magazine and discussed in excited whispers in public places. Where Madonna has the spirit of several Hollywood glam queens, k.d. lang has the presences of Lena Horne, Judy Garland and Gloria Steinem all rolled into one. On Fri- day night at the Michigan Theater, k.d. lang had the audience rapt for over an hour. It's patently clear that k.d. has charisma with a capital K, and an aura of star quality surround- ing her. At her Detroit show in Au- gust, she seemed very slick and con- trived in her chat with the audience, but at the Michigan you could see that she responded with wit and spontaneity to shouted comments from audience members. Her reaction to the audience's love seemed gen- uinely humble. k.d. played a varied set that showcased her more frisky country numbers as well as her wide reper- toire of ballads. On the more uptempo songs, the reclines were very tight and proved that they are an integral part of the lang sound. In her baggy, purple suit k.d. was as sexy as Elvis, also perfecting the Presley sneer on one of the more frenzied rockabilly workouts. "To dance is human, to polka is divine," shouted k.d. as the band threw them- selves into one of their many coun- try knees-ups. The performance had more fervor than her studio recordings. Even the ballads had a warmer glow, despite the acoustics of the cavernous Michigan Theater. It's when k.d. sings her slow songs that her voice is at her most moving. Her version of Roy Orbison's "Crying" was spine-tingling. Her cover versions are delights; they are always arranged differently from the originals, elicit- ing new meanings and resonances. During Patsy Cline's "Three Ci- garettes and an Ashtray," you could feel the collective sigh, even though a couple of divots in the audience laughed at the lyrical conceits of the song. Under k.d.'s touch, Cline's "Walkin' after Midnight" bloomed into a wispy, jazz torch song far su- perior to the clunky original. It didn't matter whether this was country music, jazz, or pop. Musical distinctions were effaced by k.d.'s all-encompassing voice, and the au- dience left feeling that they had wit- nessed the arrival of a shining new star. --Nabeel Zuberi Visions of Bob Dylan.. Bob Dylan has always been hard to figure. Sometimes he's a recluse. Some- times he's a joker. Sometimes he's a prophet. Sometimes he's a hard rocker. Sometimes he's even a Trav- eling Wilbury. Ironically, though, at Hill Audi- torium Wednesday night, he was consistent. Sure, he tossed out a few sur- prises, like stirring versions of "Song To Woody," his tribute to Woody Guthrie off his first album, "Visions of Johanna," and "It's All Right, Ma." But for the most part, Dylan - with help from guitarist G.E. Smith and a fabulous two-per- son rhythm core - confidently chugged through 25 years of his most solid work in an hour and a half. This is a man who knows what he's doing. See REVIEWS, Page 10 Japan's Kazuhito Yamashita has already earned almost legendary status in Europe with his unprecedented guitar adaptations of orcehstral works by Dvorak und Mussorsgky; his first U.S. solo tour arrives here tonight. U.S.A. in March 1987, personally invited by the celebrated Irish flutist James Galway to undertake a five- date tour which drew immediate ac- claim. "He seems destined," declared The Pittsburgh Press, "to achiever the monumental success achieved by+ Segovia." Guitarist KAZUIIITO YA- MASHITA performs tonight at 8 p.m. at Rackham Auditorium. Ad- vance tickets are available at the University Musical Society's Bur- ton Tower office and the Michigan Union Box Office; $5 student rush tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. at Burton Tower only. INTRODUCTORY SYSTEM NAD 7020e P1 i" M4A's Regular Price 0.2 NOWi3990 " 25 " 25 " 25 Copies on Resume Paper Matching Blank Sheets Matching Envelopes ONLY $600 kthe copy center ODRACLE 4 OPEN 24 HOURS 540 Liberty 761-4539 OPEN 7DAYS Michigan Union 682-222 OPEN 24 HOURS 1220 S. Uixver.ity 747-9070 I. HU D S 0 N DAYTON HUDSON DEPARTMENT STORE COMPANY Who we are: A fashion-forward, full-line department store company with a commitment to providing superior customer service. We're part of Dayton Hudson Corporation, one of America's largest general merchandise retailers. Where we are: Our Hudson's stores are in Detroit and cities in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Dayton's stores are in Minneapolis/St. Paul and other communities in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. 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