10A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, February 14, 2000 ARTS Mutter delivers violin classics to Hill Joe Chang Daily Arts Writer Anne-Sophie Mutter captured the audience's attention with her aggressive style of playing Saturday night at Hill Auditorium. Muttter did not waste any time starting her performance as she walked across th Anne- Sophie Mutter Hill Auditorium Feb. 12,2000 \ N e stage accompa- nied by brief applause. She wore an eye- catching silver dress that only accentuated her thrilling perfor- mance. The program consisted of W e b e r n, Respighi, Part, Bart6k and Ravel, which were all similar in style ranging from harmonic chords. Yet each various techniques such as plucking and attacking of the strings, Mutter proved to the audience her capabili- ty of producing dynamic sounds from her violin. She had a clear cut- ting sound that was piercing and rich in vibrato. The "Sonata for Violin and Piano" by Respighi consisted of three movements: Moderato, andante espressivo and Passacaglia. The Moderato began with graceful weaving melodies Mutter so elo- quently performed. With vigor, Mutter breezed from one movement to the next, giving each note a sense of important value. The Pas- sacaglia evoked dramatic melodies and thundering chords that were intensely controlled with the help of Mutter's piano accompanist Lambert Orkis. This preceded Arvo Part's "Fratres," which consisted of varia- tions on tunes that once again brought out Mutter's virtuoso style. Mutter then enchanted the audi- ence with the chromatic Hungarian style of Bartok in his "Sonata for Violin and Piano, No. 2." The piece had a natural tension between the solo violinist and pianist, since their parts intentionally did not feel as though they matched. Mutter and Orkis exchanged tunes back and Pnoto Courtesy oUMS Reknowned violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter captivated Hill Auditorium on Saturday. FOSTER Continued from Page 5 nuance and devoid of explana- tion. We savor his hints at the iden- tity of little Jennifer, who wears boots that are the wrong size and has a coat lined in worn out fuzz. We know nothing about her mother, who abandons her at the roadside with the narrator (an ageless, name- less, sexless older sibling). The story is like a photograph, capturing a single moment of life, dismissing the past and the future. The rela- tionship between the children and their mother doesn't happen to come up. The characters have potential, but they are too distant to be affecting. Most of the stories in "The Kind I'm Likely To Get" don't have a plot. This needn't be a liability in short fiction, but Foster's focus on inner conflict is so complete that it leaves his characters exposed. With nothing to do and no actions to take, they confront the reader with a deer-in-the--headlights stare and begin making excuses: "I am the sort of person who should be kept away from romance..." "This is the story of a man I have no interest in..." They're ordinary people, and they're unbearable because they're too real. You know these people; sometimes you're like these people. They know no one will ever under- stand them. They are more compli- cated than their friends. They are dis- * appointed in everyone. They mistake self-indulgence for introspection, constructing secret images of perfec- tion and falling into despair when no one can live up to them. They are so self-involved that they can't touch one another. They isolate themselves so completely that growth is impossi- ble. Nothing keeps them in check. When the narrator says, "The (cof- fee) shop had none of the frantic energy he remembers," there is no one to say, "Frantic energy? You , weren't building the A-bomb in there' - you were serving drinks! Get over yourself?" "The Kind I'm Likely To Get" is thoroughly annoying, but maybe you should read it anyway. You ate at least guaranteed to have a reaction., You will either revel in identity with: the characters or indignantly deny it. Although the people Ken Foster writes about are tiresomely similar, the scenarios are original and diverse. Best ofall, Foster has an easy mas- tery of the English language. His ideas don't overwhelm his prose, and his words don't eclipse his i-as. He achieves a rare, balanced expression. Still, he can't be forgiven for the fact that self-indulgent loneliness has been done to death. If you really can't get enough of it, you might enjoy this collection. Everyone else may put it under the short leg of the coffee table. If Ken Foster is any- thing like the characters in his sto- ries, that's probably what he was hoping for anyway. tones to volatile forth, giving a dance-like feel to the. piece. They definitely worked well as a team to produce wild, sensuous sounds that felt as if there were no limits. Mutter's last piece on the pro- gram was Ravel's "Tzigane, rap- sodie de concert." This piece was a reminder of her versatility in grasp- ing such deep, exotic tones and vig- orous style. Throughout the concert; Mutter did not draw the audience into her performance, but rather allowed them to observe her. Yet Mutter cast a spell during her per- formance of the Ravbl piece, caus- ing viewers to hold their breath until the last note. With gypsy tones and flushing sounds of the piano, this last piece was probably her best performance of the night. Mutter rewarded the audience with an encore by Ravel. Although this piece was nicely played, it was not the best choice for a finale. The audience's response was not over- whelming and the night would have ended better with "Tzigan, rap- sondie de concert." But on the whole, Mutter did give an excep- tional performance, making it all worthwhile to see. piece was played with gentle precise strokes of the bow. Mutter started off the first piece, Webern's "Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 7," with light, har- monic sounds that evaporated into the air. With the combination of Rose and drummers pound Hill Editorial - Publicity - Production & Design - Advertising - Marketing * Sales* Rights Licensing * Electronic Books * Books and the Internet * and more! Jim Schiff 116, arts \Witer Thursday, February 17 . 5-7 PM The Michigan League - Vandenberg Room Hear about: -THE JOB SCENE IN BOOK PUBLISHING *ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING - WHAT'S THERE FOR YOU *GETTING PUBLISHED - TO BE AN AUTHOR IN TODAY'S BOOK WORLD *SELLING AND MARKETING BOOKS & BOOK PRODUCTS Get an insider s view of the publishing world. How do you go about getting an inter- view - and a job? What skills are required? Do you need to be in New York? Where will jobs in the field lead? How is a bestseller made - and how can you be part of the process? Hear what industry professionals have to say about becoming part of the exciting world of books. Free to public! Senegalese sensation Doudou N'Diaye Rose and the Drummers of West Africa commanded the Hill Audi- torium stage on Thursday night. The world-renowned percussion orchestra brought the pow- erful rhythms of *r ~their native coun- try, Senegal, Drummers shocking and of West delighting the Africa audience. C omb i nin g Hill Auditorium technical mastery Feb.10. 2000 and stylistic flare, the Drummers of West Africa enveloped the lis- teners into their native world. The performance con- sisted of five pieces, featuring 20 to 35 musicians. The opening number, "Rosettes," dis- played ten women using the Sabar instrument, with ten men in the M'Balax rhythm section. Rose's swift, direct movements of the baton beck- oned a rapid fire of drumbeats. loud and punctuating. Playing a 20 minute piece such as this one requires a great deal of concentration. The second piece, "Baifall," opened with a lyrical duet between a man and a woman. It begins at a waltzy, relaxed pace and later quickens to the speed of the first number. The most impressive of the pieces was "Saouroubas," which opened with Rose's son playing tri-toms and gradually built into a gigantic per- cussion chorus. Rose and another drummer dueled on their respective instruments. Most enjoyable, however, was Rose's address to the audience - in French. As he looked toward the sky, he praised God and persuaded the audi- ence that "all we need is love" This performance was as much a visual delight as it was for the ears. Dressed in traditional orange and green robes, the women performers added a classic elegance to the show. In many of the pieces, the female dancers were fea- tured as soloists, displaying their unique steps. At 70 years old, Rose defied his age in performance. Throughout the show, he leapt, skipped and even did the running-man. Always animated, Rose's facial expressions and blend of humor welcomed the listener into his world. Rose, the chief-drum major of Sene- gal, employs nearly forty of his rela- tives in this remarkable ensemble. Previously, the group toured the capitals of Europe and South America and was fortunate enough to be the opening act for the 50th Annual Cannes Film Festi- val. Always an innovator, Rose works hard to improve his skills and develop new techniques. As their musical experiences show, Doudou N'Diaye Rose and the West African Drummers have proven they are truly world-class musicians. During the performance, each member, enthu- siastically engrossed in their music, captured the sounds of a place very dif- ferent from Ann Arbor. The audience clapped, chanted and stomped to the syncopated rhythms of this fabulous entertaining phenomenon.