The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - December 3, 1992- Page 5 Bolcom's success Avaricious melodies BOLCOM Continued from page 1 composing. "I think the music was shaped by the characters. It was who they were that made me write for thein." Thioughout, said the composer, camaraderie drove the creative team of Bolcom, Weinstein and Altman. "Altman doesn't pretend to know music," said Bolcom, "but he knew what he wanted musically. And he understands what music does. So he'd say, 'I need something like this here,' and I'd have to put a little into the composition here and there, accord- ing to what he wanted. Arnold some- times has tune ideas, and I sometimes have word ideas, but after 30 years, there's a certain point where you don't know where one leaves off and the other begins." Bolcom also had definite ideas about the musicians he wanted to en- trust with his opera. First, he enlisted conductor Dennis Russell Davies, with whom he has worked for 25 years. His first choice for the tragi- cally twisted heroine, Trina Sieppe, was soprano Catherine Malfitano. "I had seen her in 'Lulu' of Berg here, and I thought she was just sensa- tional," he said, "And she's deepened as an actress over the years. You'd think of her doing Susanna [from Mozart's 'Figaro'] and now she's doing Salom6 and stuff that requires big bravura acting, and she's terrific." Because hehad worked before with Timothy Nolen and found him an easy singer to write for, Bolcom re- quested that Lyric hire the baritone to portray Schouler, McTeague's best friend and eventual murder victim. Ironically, the composer had never met nor heard the man who would eventually embody the title character until, at the urging of the company's general director, he went to Chicago to hear Canadian Ben Heppner. Bolcom was impressed by the burly tenor's voice and presence, and knew he was the man for the job. Bolcom's choices apparently paid off; he was thrilled with the opening night performances. He also seemed pleased with himself and with the achievement of his partners-in-oper- atic-crime. "It's been a wonderful col- laboration. We're all very much of the same mind on a lot of things, and it's just been a very good time. I think we all feel that way," he said. While all of the reviews weren't uniformly worshipful - all of the critics quoted above, in fact, had some reservations about the work - Bolcom takes those viewspretty much in stride. And despite the bravado of the earlier quote and his success as both composer and performer, he later admitted to being a bit sensitive to criticism. "Anything that stings, of course it hurts. I'm sorry, I'm human. Somebody says something nasty, I'm angry. And sometimes I think, 'well maybe they're right,' and then after- wards, I have to remember, no, they're not. It takes a little while, because you'd love to have them love every- thing you did." Whetheror not the global commu- nity of music critics ever falls into line, Bolcom's future looks rosy. Along with a number of smaller projects he's looking forward to work- ing on, he's got works for two instru- mental heavy-hitters lined up for the coming year: a flute concerto for "Jimmy" Galway to be premiered in St. Louis next fall, and a violin sonata for Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg which she'll play at next summer's Aspen Music Festival. "Frankly I'm looking forward to something that isn't as big as what I've had to deal with now," he said. "It's going to be nice to take it easier." He also seemed excited about resum- ing his post at the University come January. "I've missed that. I do like teaching ... I'll have time to do it, which I haven't had before." And will opera junkies have to wait long for a reteaming of the Chi- cago Three? "It's funny, we were all taking a bow, and the last song is 'We're dead men, what do we do now?' in sort of a blues ... and Bob says, 'I think I have an idea.' So I'm trying to find out what it is." MCTEAGUE Continued from page 1 gratuitous, intended only to titil- late. Some of those people were sit- ting in front of me. "This is just like watching television," said an older man to his well-coiffed companion. But they miss the point. Our society is so desensitized to greed that to depict avarice alone has little impact. But stage director Robert Altman clearly knows what still makes people twitch, especially in the midwestern capital of capitalism that is Chicago: sex. In order to inspire disgust, money be- comes sensualized to the point of per- version. Fittingly, the musical language used by composer William Bolcom allowed for the expression of a wide range of emotions. He employed his knack for integrating numerous and diversemusical styles, effectively giv- ing distinct voices to each character, and evoking moods with amazing clar- ity. There were musical nods to the notable American composers of this century, including Ives, Barber, Copland, Gershwin and Joplin. Al- though the overall effect might be too eclectic for some tastes, I found the variety refreshing and stimulating. Technically speaking, all involved made this a first-rate performance. The principals were well coached dra- matically; supported by Altman's gen- erally fluid direction, the singers in- habited their roles very comfortably and with little pretense. And besides, they sang well. That may seem like too obvious and general a statement to make about musicians of such cali- ber, in a respected house like the Lyric. I assure you, though, that truly fine performances by all of the principals, McTeague Lyric Opera of Chicago November 21, 1992 on the same night, solid both musi- cally and dramatically, don't happen all that often; it did tonight. There were a few glitches here and there, however. While players in the pit really gave themselves to the score (and even seemed to enjoy it), con- ductor Dennis Russell Davies would occasionally push Bolcom's 75-piece (plus sampler) orchestra a bit too far, nearly covering the singer and lyrics entirely. A few times, Malfitano's usually warm and shining sopranc betrayed some rough edges on the low and high ends. Although the pro- gram listed an English diction coach, there was no mention of who coached Golden in Spanish pronunciation; her inconsistent dialect was the only thing that detracted from a committed and courageous performance. Visually, the production was out- standing. Set designer Yuri Kuper and costumer Jeannette Mariani suc- cessfully evoked both the working- class neighborhood in San Francisco and the barren and threatening Death Valley. New operas of the past 50 years have not typically been able to secure places in the standard repertoire. Let's hope that this musical dramaof Ameri- can greed is the exception. - Michelle Weger CH INA QARDEN Restaurant Szechuan, Hunan, & Peking Cuisine Now Open! 15% OFF Special Dinner and Carryout Menu $10.00 OFF Highlights, Lowlights, Perms with a haircut with coupxon. Peasecmention.this9.A Expies 123192 $18.00 College Haircuts Everyday Must be 18-23years old METAMORPHOSIS HAIR SALON 663-3991 121 E. Liberty M-F / 9-7 Sat. / 9-6 Earlier or later hours by appointment All products & services come with an owner back guarantee-Darlene Strasburg Experienced hair designer opportunities available The WlrIgd3Ig PItIf0 classified section is currently hiring creative, business-minded freshpersons and sophomores. 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