ARTS

The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 16, 2001, 9A

.Berlioz'
masterwork
returns to A2
By Autumn Brown
. Daily Arts Writer
"If I were threatened with seeing
the destruction of all of my works,
save for one score, it is the
'Requiem' for
which I
would ask
mercy.
Berlioz' These are
Requiem the words of
H e c t o r
Hill Auditorium B e r l i o z,
believed to be
one of the
most gifted
R Romantic
French com-
posers of all
time, given in
regards to his
crowning achievement, "Requiem,
OP. 5."
"Requiem" is only performed
once in a generation. Incidentally, it
has not been performed in Ann
Arbor since 1978. Dr. Thomas
Sheets, Musical Conductor of the
University Musical Society Choral
Union, believes that now is the
opportune time for the second com-
ing of Requiem, considered by
many to be one of the greatest
musical masterpieces of all time.
"Its excitement completely engulfs
Wou with sound, and when it's over
"'t usually leaves you in suspense,"
-Sheets said.
As Berlioz preferred large-scale
compositions, he set a precedent for
future composers with the neces-
sary recruitment of 150 singers,
four brass choirs positioned in four
corners of the performance space,
16 tympanis and a full orchestra.
Wvidently, Sheets has had his work
cut out for him in maintaining
'Berlioz's tradition of composition
"in the University's production of his
,"Requiem."
: , In keeping with Berlioz's tradi-
:ion of grandiose performances,
lhe Greater Lansing Symphony
:)rchestra will join the UMS Choral
4Jnion. The Choral Union, which is
°'ts 122nd season, consists of area
-sidents, as well as University fac-
ity, staff and students, and regular-
y performs and occasionally
:ecords with the Detroit Symphony
)rhchestra. To accommodate the
necessary amount of performers,
stage extensions have been added to
The left and the right of the stage at
dill Auditorium. Additionally, there
ill be four additional brass orches-
ras, two of which will be on stage
s regular orchestras.
Naturally, Sheets has high expec-
tations for the performance. He
.aid, "(The) audience will
rtcounter a piece that despite its
Zge is still absolutely astonishing to
:The ear and also to the eye, because
hb. eye will see instruments at each
:orner of the room and will per-
ceive a spatial dimension not usual-
ly-present. In addition, the sounds
that are made are a revelation which
s beyond anything that they expect
4o hear, which produces that 'aa!'
quality."
In writing "Requiem," Berlioz
wanted to embody the spirit of the

time, which was less restricted than
the preceding era; specifically, it
was more conducive to scientific
thought. Latin was the chosen
medium for "Requiem," because the
pious scribes of the Catholic
hurch were not far removed from
he time of the apostles and they
-~believed that Latin was a holy lan-
4-M PE

A cappella survivors present 'Best Concert Ever'
DailyArts Wie
______________ I (11 ANV

The Friars, an all-male a cappella octet formed
as a subset of the Men's Glee Club, will be hold-

. 4
The
Friars
Rackham
Auditorium
Tonight at 8 :30 p.m.

ing their 45th annual "Best
Concert Ever" tonight at
Rackham Auditorium. The
group formed in 1955, tak-
ing its name from a drinking
society that existed at the
University in the early
1900s. According to
Jonathan Lutz, SNRE junior
and first-year member of the
Friars, "we (the members of
the group) drink a lot of
beer."
Whether drinking or not,
however, the Friars perfor-
mances are lively and fun-

CrsoUMS

Tenor soloist Stanford Olsen.

guage, for the simple reason that it
did not allow the introduction of
colloquial language.
"Berlioz's Requiem is the musi-
cal equivalent to the Royal Shake-
speare Company as these orchestras
will warrant the same type of
world-class performance that peo-
ple have come to expect from the
University Musical Society. Sheets
said, "I feel very fortunate to be
able to conduct this piece, as it will
end up as a testament to the human
spirit, making one reconsider
human capability. The performance
is sure to leave the audience with an
awe that lasts days and even
weeks."

filled. "We're more entertainment than just
sitting and listening," Lutz said. "Our humor and
our spontaneity are what sets us apart from other
groups."
The Friars are more than simply a vocal per-
formance group - their shows often include
choreography, jokes and props, such as the use
of hand puppets at the "Monsters of a cappella"
performance in February. The group strives to
get the audience involved during their shows,
hoping (as their webpage states) "to lose (them-
selves) in a good time and hopefully drag every-
one else along for the ride."
The theme of tonight's show is "Survivor," an
idea that is present within a number of the songs
that the group will be performing. Among the
featured songs are covers of "Survivor" by Des-
tiny's Child, "I Will Survive," by Gloria Gaynor,
and "Eye of the Tiger" (originally by the 1980s
band Survivor).

They like drinking beer. They like Elizabeth Filarski. The Friars are our kind of people.

t~ouUI UL UILnp tears

"We have six new members this year," said
Lutz. "We're just trying to survive the flood of a
cappella groups on campus ... it's really cool to
see everyone working together for the concert."
Jonathan admits that his favorite character on
"Survivor" is Elizabeth - apparently a popular
favorite among males on the University campus.
"She's cool," he said. "She's cute and she's non-
confrontational."
The group has previously released two CDs,
entitled "Naughty" and "Nice," respectively.
Their third CD, "Oogong!" was recently released
and continues on the tradition of the first two.

When they are not performing, the Friars keep
themselves busy by performing at a number of
off-campus events. The group recently per-
formed in Frankenmuth, Michigan, and also
toured around the continent of Australia.
The Dicks and Janes, one of the University's
co-ed a cappella groups, will be opening for the
Friars tonight. The concert will be a great time
for all, so join the Friars and the Dicks and Janes
tonight for a fun-filled night of music and may-
hem. Doors are scheduled to open at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are $7 and are available at the Michigan
Union Ticket Office and at the door.


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CourtesyofUMS
Thomas Sheets, conductor for Sunday's
performance of Berlioz' Requiem.
'1 WE'N:D:KILL
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