10B - The Michigan Daily Weekend Magazine - Thursday, January 15, 1998
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9
The 0Mhigan:Daily Weekend Maga
I Campus Arts 1997
'U' arts community strong i '97
State of the Arts
1997: THE YEAR OF THE PUFF
CAMPUS
Continued from Page 2B
Ensemble and the Middle Eastern
Tnuatron Dance Theater and "The
Russian Village," which recreated
"Gulanye," the fabled Russian Viallage
Festival.
Of course. 1997 did have its disap-
pointments. The New York City Opera
National Company's performance of
Puccini's "La Boheme" was only so-so,
and contralto Ewa Poodles was simply a
letdown after Cecilia Bartoli canceled
her March 29th recital. September saw
the death -of Chicago Symphony Music
Director Laureate Sir Georg Solti, who
was scheduled to conduct the MET
Orchestra in May 1998.
In addition, illness forced violinist
Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg to cancel
her performance with the Chicago
Symphony in September. Nevertheless,
Solemo-Sonnenberg's replacement, vio-
linist Elmar Oliveira, gave a tremen-
dous performance of Tchaikovsky's
Violin Concerto in D Major.
1997 also marked a year of anniver-
saries. The University of Michigan
Bands celebrated 100 years on Feb. 22,
1997, with a centennial concert by the
University Symphony Band. The con-
cert kicked off the first of four com-
missioned works for the ensemble. The
Symphony Band tours also included
Pennsylvania and Virginia, culminat-
ing with a celebratory concert at
Carnegie Hall on May 9th.
Another important event of 1997
was the American premiere of
Mendelssohn's recently discovered
Third Piano Concerto, on Nov. 4, the
150th anniversary of Mendelssohn's
death. The concert also celebrated
composer John Adams' 50th birthday,
as well as commemorating the 100th
anniversary of Johannes Brahms'
death. The University Chamber
Choir's Oct. 17 concert, featuring
Brahms' "Liebeslieder Waltzes," was
another highlight in the anniversaries
theme, and included faculty guest
pianists Anton Nel and Martin Katz.
The University Museum of Art
turned 50 in 1997, and the museum
celebrated with a number of events.
The private art collections of
Michigan alumni became a long-
standing exhibit that brought many
important works to Ann Arbor. Of
course, the much-awaited Monet
exhibit is on tap, setting the stage for
another year of lectures, concerts and
presentations at the Museum of Art.
Another important 50 th anniversary
was the celebration of organist
Marilyn Mason's half-century stint as
a professor at the School of Music,
commemorated with an organ confer-
ence and celebration in October. And
the University's Gilbert and Sullivan
Society celebrated 50 years with an
April production of the operetta "The
Pirates of Penzance" and a fall produc-
tion of "Princess Ida."
University Productions had a host of
successes in 1997, ranging from the
March opera production of Mozart's
"The Marriage of Figaro" to the dance
magic of "TanzMusik" in February.
February also saw the department of
theater and drama's presentation of the
Irish drama "Dancing at Lughnasa." Of
course, nothing could top the musical
theater department's performance of
"The Music Man" in April. The fall sea-
son's lineup of lesser-known operas by
Ravel and Stravinsky, as well as presen-
The University's musical theater department brought terror with "Sweeney Todd."
tations of "Ladyhouse Blues" and "The
Marriage of Bette and Boo," was
capped off with a modern interpretation
of Shakespeare's "Henry V"- a pre-
cursor to the African setting of
Sophocles' "Antigone" scheduled for
April.
The University Activities Center
(UAC) had a year of change as well as
a year of tradition. Amazin' Blue,
UAC's co-ed a cappella group, cele-
brated its 10th anniversary. The
Valentine's Day "Monsters of a
Cappella" charity collaboration con-
cert with Amazin' Blue, the
Harmonettes, the Gentlemen and the
Friars was also a success.
The Michigan Pops Orchestra
joined the ranks of UAC organiza-
tions, and SophShow (renamed the
Rude Mechanicals) presented "Zoo
Story" in February and "A Few Good
Men" in March. MUSKET is looking
forward to its 1998 production of
"Pippin," after 1997's "Jesus Christ
Superstar."
The Jazz Ensemble celebrated its
first anniversary in 1997, and in
1998 will witness the creation of a
second ensemble to complement the
School of Music's expanding jazz
department. In addition, the
University Chamber Orchestra was
formed in the fall and will present
the Mozart Birthday Concert on Jan.
27th.
Another first included the founding
of the State Street Poetry Project in
February. This event gives students
another forum for expression in the
University community, in addition to
more established organizations such
as Basement Arts.
All in all, 1997 was a testimony to
the commitment of a community that
takes pride in the fine arts, and 1998
looks just as promising.
Researching the Bah'?
Faith?
Refer to Internet
http://www.rt66.com/-obfusa
/council.htm
for documentation proving
incontestably that Shoghi
Effendi appointed a successor.
E-Mail:
OBFUSA@RT66.COM
1-800-689-1842
"THE BEST COFFEEHOUSE IN TOWN"
CoNTEMPoRARY ForK Duo
FROM DAVE & JENNIFER BUEHRER
FOLK DiA
FROM
BOBBIE PENNINGTON
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1998 started rather abruptly, just as I
was beginning to understand the com-
plicated, seven-based mystique that was
1997. 1 say "abrupt" referring to the
unfortunate and beguilingly stupid pair
of skiing mishaps that befell Michael
Kennedy and Sonny Bono. Nothing like
a tree to stop a year's momentum.
Just as blunt and perhaps even more
stupid was OJ's recent Esquire magazine
revelation that if he did kill his wife, "it
would have been because I loved her
very much, right?"
Accidents and murder-
ers' desperate pleas for sup-
port aside, the seventh year
of the '90s ended on a high
note, and I'm not talking
about just Robert Downey,
Jr., without ever being fully
explained. Carrying the
number seven in its name,
last year harbored an inher-
ent mystery, a mystery that Bryan Lark
has surrounded the prime Daily Arts
number since the dawn of
man. Seven: it's magical , it's lucky, it's
.. Puffy.
Think about it - the seventh year,
seven days a week, seven McCaughey
babies, seven top-10 hits featuring Puff
Daddy. Coincidence? I think not.
In fact, the year's entire calendar of
events can be framed in terms of the
sample-happy Sean Combs. Combs,
a.k.a. Puff Daddy, a.k.a. Puffy, a.k.a.
Stay Puff, scored his biggest success in
1997, with his eulogy to the Notorious
BIG, slain in a drive-by shooting in
March, "I'll Be Missing You," an inter-
pretation of The Police's "Every
Breath You Take."
Though Biggie was the one directly
being mourned, the song could have
been in memory of many: Princess
Diana, Jimmy Stewart, Mother Theresa,
k
sEl
John Denver, Coleman Young, creativi-
ty in pop music or even Sting's dignity.
But I'm not complaining, even if it was
a huge sellout. It had a good beat, I
could dance to it. And besides, isn't it
all about the benjamins, anyway?
Hey, that's another Puffy milestone,
the year-end chart-topper "It's All
About the Benjamins." Being "in it for
the money" seemed prevalent in the
mystical nine-seven, whether you're
talking about actress Hunter Tylo suing
for millions for being terminated from
"Melrose Place" when she
should be cheering, or
whether you're discussing
what made Sigourney Weaver
return for another "Alien"; or
whether you're referring to
the cast of "Seinfeld"
demanding $1 million per
episode, then churning out
comedic crap and calling it
quits after nine seasons.
Editor As the great Puffy once said
during the summer, and can
also be said for all these cash-strapped
newsmakers: "Mo' Money, Mo'
Problems." This Puffy track could also
be referring to the situation faced by the
McCaughey septuplets and their par-
ents. Upon passing these enormous
cash cows into the world, Bobbie
McCaughey and her nameless fertilizer
are richer than ever with everyone from
Pampers to Depends sponsoring their
children's lives. But all the "mo'
money" will eventually run out. What
then, you ask? Bobbie could always
have the kids star in an ad campaign for
cloning: "We told seven friends and
they told 14 friends and so on and so on
If we learned something from the
great '97 cloning debate, it's that you
can't keep stories about Dolly or those
who view cloning as ethically permissi-
ble properly suppressed. Maybe they
should adopt Puff Daddy's grammati-
cally incorrect No. 1 hit "Can't Nobody
Hold Me Down" as a theme song. Ditto
that for the record-breaking number of
obese Americans, who in 1997 couldn't
hold their weight down, even with the
help of Phen-Fen. The same goes for the
paparazzi who couldn't be held down,
despite efforts by such heavyweights as
George Clooney and Fran Drescher in
the wake of Diana's death, allowing for
a paparazzi-induced break in the com-
pelling Frank Gifford story.
Drawing its funky foundation from
Gloria Estefan's "Bad Boys" and its '97
cultural significance from such bad boys
as Gifford and the "good Samar
Eddie Murphy, rapper Mase's "Fee
Good," featuring a certain Puffy ch
ter, could be the battle cry of severa
ing social events - pun inter
Fighting for a fair maiden's honor,
lars or just a little sumthin' sumthin'
boys Christian Slater, Mike Tyson
Marv Albert all found '97 a year
could really sink their teeth into,
varying punishments. Slater got
months, Tyson got a huge fine and A
got a slap on the wrist and a Vict
Secret gift certificate.
Digressing from the Marv A
put-downs for a moment, let me ex
ine the relevance of Mariah Ca
"Honey," produced by Puffy and
7
- I
I
On Main between William &
Liberty
Visit our website at www.a2ark.org
All ages welcome at all shows
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DARDEN SMITH WSG/ STUART DAVIS
Tuesday, January 20 8pm
Texas songwriter meets post-apocalyp-
tic punk folk satirical composer
COCO LOVE ALCORN & STEWART FRANCKE WSG/ SUSAN
CALLO WAY
Thursday, January 22 8pm
Ani DiFranco's opening act & the next important voice out of
Detroit share an evening
Boyboirof~afmC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18,7 PM, HILL AUDITORIUM
..Rush Tickets on Sale!
BRAVE OLD WORLD
Sunday, January 25 8pm
The Klezmer revival's first
super group brings an evening
in the Yiddish tradition!
Thursday, January 15
11 a.m. -1:30 p.m.
Pierpont Commons
(Next to Little Caesar's)
1
Friday, January 16
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Michigan Union
Ticket Office
TICKETS ON SALE NOW at the Michigan Union Ticket Office,
Schoolkid's Records, Herb David Guitar Studio, and all TicketMaster
Centers or charge by pa The Ark hot n
Bring your valid student ID. There is a two ticket limit per student.
Tickets are subject to availability.
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