ARTS Concubines drink and kingdoms fall By STEVE BURTON "There's going to be a lot of noise up there," said Leslie Guinn, Director of the Division of Vocal Arts at the University School of Music and Baritone soloist in tonight's performance of William Walton's Oratorio "Belshazzar's Feast" to be given by the combined forces of the Univer- sity Choir, the University Chamber Choir, the University Symphony Orchestra and the University Philharmonia Orchestra. Those who see concerts as opportunities for a pleasant nap in high-toned surroundings would do well to miss this one; while a choral setting of scripture by an English composer may sound like a recipe for virtuous boredom, "Belshazzar's Feast" will quickly shatter any such pre- conception. "Dramatic" and "theatrical" are the words most used to describe the piece by Guinn and by Jerry Blackstone, director of the University Choir and the University of Many students may not realize that the School of Music faculty harbors much world class vocal talent, Guinn being a prominent case In point. Michigan Men's Glee Club, who conducts. The work captures "all the drama of the text," accord- ing to Guinn. Indeed, "Belshazzar's Feast" recounts one of the most famous episodes in the Old Testament. After a moving account of the plight of the children of Israel taken captive in Babylon, Walton pulls out all the stops for a brilliant depiction of what Blackstone called "the big party" thrown by King Belshazzar. "The heathens get a lot of good tunes," added Blackstone: these Babylonians know how to celebrate in style. At the height of the festivities, King Belshazzar breaks out the sacred vessels plundered from his captives "that the King, his Princes, his wives, and his concubines might drink therein." Suddenly there come forth "fingers of a man's hand," and the dumbstruck Babylonians witness the handwriting on the wall: "Mene, mene, tekel upharsin - thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting." I at 'Feast' The remainder of the score makes short work of Belshazzar and his kingdom; his slaying is the occasion for a lusty shout from the chorus. Lest anyone think the bad-guys have all the fun, the work concludes with a joyous chorus of the liberated Hebrews. This is Blackstone's favorite part, "the alleluias when Babylon has fallen are fabulous, and it builds to this monster climax at the very end ..." The first performance of the work 60 years ago set the English musical world on its collective ear, in more than just musical terms. Blackstone observes that it was also "controversial in terms of the text-- at first women in the chorus refused to sing it because it had the word 'concu- bines' in it. It was banned in churches for awhile because of that word. And Walton tends to relish those phrases, too - the parts about concubines are very gorgeous, very beautiful." Many students may not realize that the School of Music faculty harbors much world class vocal talent, Guinn being a prominent case in point. Fresh from a stay in Germany that saw his first performances as Wotan in Wagner's "Ring" cycle, certainly the longest and argu- ably the most difficult role in the bass-baritone repertoire, Guinn looks forward to working with student forces in a relatively modest part he has performed for years. "The baritone part is not very big," he said, "but it's extremely dramatic. When the baritone comes in, Walton just hands you the stage on a silver platter." Guinn singled out the invocation to the Babylonian. God of Gold: "Vocally, just in terms of blowing the soot out, that little five-bar section is just a pedal-to-the-metal moment. I hold that last note till the chorus blows me off the stage with their entrance." Guinn readily admits that the real starof the show is the chorus, which Walton puts through its paces in no uncer- tain terms. Indeed, Blackstone declared "Belshazzar's Feast" the "most challenging piece I've ever done. The choral writing is as hard or harder note-wise and rhythmwise as anything." He concluded that "the possi- bilities for disaster in this performance are huge. It's just on the edge." BELSU AZZ AR'S FEAST will be performed in Hill Auditorium at 8p.m. tonight. The program will begin with overtures by Berlioz, Verdi, and Wagner conducted by Gustav Meier. Admission is free. School of Music Director of Vocal Arts Leslie Guinn leads the way in the performance of "Belshazzar's Feast." IH"fl'AT Apted makes 'Blink' WHE RE WHEN m aybe worth a look I Executive Positions Available By ALEXANDRA TWIN What makes a good director? Is it strength? Is it vision? Is it pure skill? Or is it just consistency? The ability to wade through psycho-thrillers like Blink Directed by Michael Apted; written by Dana Stevens; with Madeleine Stowe and Aidan Quinn. "First Born," wrenching bio-pics like "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "Goril- las in the Mist," tales of personal struggle like "Thunderheart," and even startling documentaries like "In- cident at Oglala" or the noted "7 up" series, all without missing a beat? Whatever "it" is, it would seem that one unquestionable benefit of being a Good Director is the ability to create strong, harrowing films imbued with equally strong characters, regardless of the genre, or perhaps in spite of it. This is the case with Michael Apted. Lucky for the producers of "Blink," too, 'cause without him, they'd be little more than weary players in an endless game of Blind Man's Bluff. This is not to say that the script is without redemption. It takes a con- ventional idea - a woman sees the face of a killer, fears for her own safety, and falls in love with the hand- some cop who's been assigned the case - and adds a bit of a twist to it. The quirk is that Emma Brody is blind, or was until just days before the See BLINK, Page 8 Liberals Beware - She's Here!! The University of Michigan College Republicans and The Young America's Foundation 'resent Speaking on...