n Te micngan vatry - rruyJnury Za, ±aa4 -v Shostakovich would be proud By KEREN SCHWEITZER The first night of the Borodin String Quartet's perfor- mance of the Shostakovich quartet cycle was an immense success. As part of the larger University-wide series entitled, "Shostakovich: The Man and His Age, 1906- 1975," the Borodin Quartet presented quartets no. 1-3 in Rackham auditorium to a full audience. After hearing this ensemble, amore authentic performance of Shostakovich's music seems impossible. The audience was captivated and entranced with the Borodin String Quartet Rackham Auditorium January 25, 1994 life and music of Shostakovich even before the concert began. This was due to the pre-concert presentation, also presented by the University Musical Society. Laurel Fay, an independent scholar whose dissertation focused on the late Shostakovich quartets, was the lecturer. The lecture was informative, although the information that she cov- ered was already in the program notes, which she also wrote. Fay's historical overview of all the quartets was not a bad idea, but a discussion about the actual sounds and harmonies of the composer may have served as a better preparation for the concert. Such a discussion would have been especially useful for the audience members who had never heard Shostakovich's music before. Although Fay did use musical examples, more musical observations would have been preferable. The concert itself was fantastic. The Borodin quartet had an incredible technical facility as well as an astound- ingly sensitive musical interpretation. It was such a treat to hear musicians of this caliber in such a small audito- rium. The final movement of the Quartet No. 3 was particularly moving with its subtle dynamic contrasts. The viola solos heard in the third movement of the Quartet No. 2 were also especially moving. Since two of the quartet members knew Shostakovich personally, it is no surprise that the Borodin's musical interpretation was so effective . The importance of this series cannot be underesti- mated. This will be the first time that a quartet has performed all of Shostakovich's quartets in such a short span of time. Fay mentioned that the quartets trace the composer's remarkable musical development. "Shostakovich undergoes a transition from demonstrative composition to allegorical composition," she said. "It is a rare opportunity to hear all 15 quartets. It gives us a chance to compare them while they are still fresh in our heads and to make new connections." The final concert will feature the last three quartets. According to Fay, "these late quartets can be viewed as a train of thought and are somewhat autobiographical." It is interesting to notice that the 15th quartet is in six move- ments all of which are marked adagio and there are no pauses in between the movements. The late quartets are an emotionally exhausting experience for the listener as well as a mental and physical exercise for the musicians. Judging from the concert on Tuesday night, the Borodin String Quartet is unquestionably capable of such a chal- lenge. There are still two concerts left, one tonight at 8:00 p.m. at the Museum of Art. General admission tickets for this concert of Quartets 10-12 are available for $22. The late Quartets will be performed Saturday night at Rackham Auditorium. Tickets are available from the UMS Box Office (764-2538)for $14-$24. $7 Student Rush Tickets will be available for the Saturday concert at the Union Ticket Office from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The UMS will and North Campus Commons will also co-sponsor North Campus Rush, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday at the Commons next to Little Caesars. Andrew Dice Clay is still as lame, raunchy and arrogant as ever. Don't you hate him? ECORDS Continued from page 8 ently wants to be Suede's Brett Ander- son, he simply cannot match that man's soaring vocal flights and campy posturing and his attempts are almost laughable. "Love 15" smokes a bit, .*t a roaring blaze it is not. - Dirk Schulze Andrew Dice Clay The Day the Laughter Died II American Andrew Dice Clay used to be funny. This statement is meant to il- lustrate that this review is not previ- ously biased against the Diceman. !ndrew Dice Clay is no longer funny. This statement is meant to illustrate that the Diceman's new album is hor- rible. The opening track, "'Tis the Sea- son," is billed as, "A conceptual piece' edited by Andrew Dice Clay." It con- sists of fairly obnoxious and, disap- pointingly, unfunny melee of swear- ing. The concept is, at the very least, =insistent with the rest of the album: Tame yet warranting a parental advi- sory. His sex jokes are no longer funny, they are simply vulgar. But his sex jokes are hardly the worst part of the album. You see, the worst part of the album is the audience abuse. Dice was never the nicest guy to the people who came to see him, but on this concert album, he has become par- cularly pugnacious. Aside from not ling funny, it also takes up time on the disc which could be better spent on something funny or something si- lent. Not that it's all unfunny. The last track involves Clay leaving the stage swearing so he can fight with a mem- ber of his audience who he has been flashing out at. It's not comedy, but it us funny. So basically, this album is com- *etely worthless. Even if you liked him in the past, he is nothing now. He's not kidding when he says on the album "I don't have a career right now." Rent "Ford Fairlane" and then forget him. -Ted Watts Anthony Braxton Ensemble) Compositions ack Saint For some musicians, music is a career. For others, like Anthony Braxton, music is a constantly evolv- ing medium of personal and concep- tual expression. These four pieces of creative orchestra music recorded in 1992 locate Braxton in his most re- cently cultivated and dense musical rigtory. Varying his efforts from solo pieces (including the first solo-sax record evermade) through small group improv to multi-orchestra works and a massive 12-opera ritual complex, generalizations about Braxton's mu- sic are hopelessly sketchy. While bringing together Paul Desmond, Sun Ra and Karlheinz Stockhausen would make for a long day, this aggregation makes some kind of quirky, (ana)logical sense in Braxton's abstract music. Comprised of two older and two of his most recent orchestral pieces, this CD present some of Braxton's most finely textured and playful tunes. Compositions 100, 163 and 164 use Braxton's characteristic hybrid- ization of formal composition with improvisational passages. Excerpted from the 240-pages of notation and without the four slide projectors, the fourth comp., no. 96, is shorter than the full version previously recorded for Leo Records. Avoiding static organization, these pieces employ "schematic infrastruc- tures" and "vibrational" impetuses that are full of surprises. Despite the scale of these works, there is an inti- macy to this music. In all four pieces, especially no. 164, the instruments couple and balance, giving small-scale order to the general "collage form." These tonal shifts develop distinct but passing relationships, evoking unimagined tones and shades through the seamless binding of freedom and formality. - Chris Wyrod Joshua Redman Wish Warner Brothers If a musician's musical magnifi- cence is measured by the players who accompany them, then Joshua Redman, on his second album, KOREAN CUISINE A good atnosphere -- perfect for dates e * (313) 662-9303 113 E. Huron Ann Arbor "Wish," may already be counted among jazz's new elite by playing with Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins. But, if a musician's magnificence is measured by the way a musician makes a collection of songs their own, then Redman is one of jazz's new elite. Composed of jazz classics, mod- ern pop, blues and aRedman original, "Wish" is an ecclecticly interesting grouping of musical genres. Redman's powerfully sensitive, liquid saxo- phone is the bridge over what could have been a quagmire of musical bra- vado. Redman appeases both young and old with his song list. His render- ing of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" is highly emotional and true to the original intent of the song. For the jazz purists, Redman's rendering of Charlie Parker's "Moose the Mooch" is nothing but pure be-bop. The rest of the band is incredible as would be expected. Metheny's guitar solos on "Wish" need to be checked out as does Higgins' drum solos on his composition "Blues for Pat." Joshua Redman has found the per- fect mixture of musical emotion and technical ability that is woefully lack- ing in many of the new crop of young jazz purists. Redman is ready to take his place anong the jazz greats and it is no surprise that his album sounds more like an established classic than a recent release. -Ben Ewy Cowboy Junkies Pale Sun, Crescent Moon RCA For better of worse, the Cowboy Junkies have come a long way from the ghostly blues of "Whites Off Earth Now" and the relaxed, atmospheric mood of "The Trinity Sessions." On 1992's "Black-Eyed Man," the band proved it could rock out a bit and on its latest, "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon," the Junkies even whip up a fair amount of feedback for its cover of Dinosaur Jr.'s "The Post." Those who miss the intimacy of "The Trinity Sessions" can find comfort in the sparse "Cold Tea Blues," but will be surprised by the likes of the relatively hard-edged "Seven Years." The band works well with the change in direction, seeming a little more comfortable with the expanded sound than on "Black-Eyed Man." Michael Timmins has matured into quite an adept songwriter (even quot- ing both Gabriel Garcia-Marqudz and William Faulkner), while sibling Margo has abandoned the mellow-as- can-be persona in favor of slightly more expressive vocals. It may not have the personal and confidential aura of "The Trinity Sessions" (re- corded in a church), but "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon" shows that the Cow- boy Junkies can function in a real studio to positive effect. - Dirk Schulze Les Thugs As Happy as Possible Sub Pop In the Great Rock'n' Roll Scheme of Things, the French have remained mysteriously silent. Les Thugs, a four- some from Paris, are out to change that with theirdebut album "As Happy as Possible." Over 17 songs, the group somewhat schizophrenically butcom- petently covers the gamut of alterna- tive rock styles from the Pixies to My Bloody Valentine. Especially strong songs include the title track, "Harpo's Theme," "Admen," "You Wanna Die" and "Looking In Your Eyes." Will Les Thugs be able to develop a style of their own? Hard to say right now, but "As Happy as Possible" brings some of la difference to rock. - Heather Phares r r m - ...... m. - m. m - m..... - . - ...... 5th AVE. AT LIBERTY 761-9700 I THE PIANO (R)- Fd: 4:55,7:25, 9:45 Sat, Sun: 1225,2:40, 4:55,7:25,9:45 6 DEGREES OF SEPARATION (R) - Fd: 4:45,7:10,9:35 Sat, Sun: 12:15,2:30,4:45, 7:10,9:35 ' '..BARGAIN MATINEES $3.50 BEFORE 6 PM STUDENTS WITH ID $4.00 EVENINGS FR EE 32 oz. DRINK with purchase of a large popcorn, ($2.65 value) -- Present this coupon with purchased ticket thru 2/10m4 =======--- .-- -.. ---- -- -- --. -m -- University of Michigan School of MusiC Friday, January 28 Wind Ensemble H. Robert Reynolds, Gary Lewis, and William Wiedrich, conductors; Paul Harkins, tympani soloist " Gabrieli: Canzona " Ives: Ann Street, Calcium Night Light, The Seer * Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments (original version) " Colgrass: Concertino for tympani with brass and percussion Rackham Auditorium, 8 p.m., free Sunday, January 30 1994 Piano Competition Twelve U-M students perform Beethoven piano sonatas Recital Hall, School of Music, 1-5 p.m., free Monday, January 31 Faculty Recital Dickran Atamian, piano (first prize winner, 50th Anniversary Naumberg Piano Competition) * Schubert: Walzer, op. 18a; Ecossaisen, op. 18b; Sonata in G Major . Mozart: Sonata in A minor; Sonata in D Major Rackham Auditorium, 8 p.m., free Faculty Recital Charles Daval, trumpet (former principal/solo trumpet with the Montreal Symphony); Anton Nel, piano " Works by Bozza, Enesco, Glazunov, Peeters, Bizet, and Tchaikovsky Recital Hall, School of Music, 8 p.m., free Tuesday, February 1 University Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestras, University Choir, and University Chamber Choir Jerry Blackstone and Gustav Meier, conductors; Leslie Guinn, baritone soloist (Grammy nominee) * Overtures by Berlioz (Roman Carnival), Verdi (La Forza del Destino), and Wagner (Die Meistersinger) " Walton's oratorio Belshazzar's Feast Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m., free Thursday-Sunday, February 3-6 University Dance Company It's Dance. It's Music. It's Cutting Edge. Featuring: Niinsky's 1912 ballet Afternoon of a Faun (music by Debussy) lost a Plus new works by . UM dance l. faculty: Daughters of Isis (music by Banfield) 4 The Vast Sky Is Falling (music by Webern) q m I m I a on il .Mffvlkw i