Page 6--Wednesday, August 13, 1980-The Michigan Daily
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ByPETER PRATT
Several years ago, Walker Percy
delivered the lecture at the annual
presentation of the Hopwood awards..
At that time, he contrasted the novel of
popular appeal, in which he said
everything happens, and so-called
serious fiction, where it often seems
that little happens, praising the latter'
for its stylistic value and truth to ex-
perience. Percy often cited Joseph
Heller's Something Happened as an
example of a contemporary serious
novel, the something that happened
referring usually to events in the life of
the mind rather than actual physical
events.
Apparently, Walker Percy's cap-
tivation with Heller's novel has not sub-
sided. In his latest novel, The Second
Coming (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux,
360 pp.), his protagonist, like Heller's.
has abundant material possessions but
nevertheless finds suicide a reasonable
alternative to the mental anguish he
must endure by living in the modern
world.
PERCY'S HERO, Will Barrett, is a
wealthy retired lawyer living in North
Carolina. While playing golf one after-
noon, he realizes that "the world and
life around him seemed to grow more
senseless and farcical with each passing
day." Hardly an original insight.
Fueled by the memory of a hunting trip
he took with his father, in which his
father tried to kill both of them, Barrett
comes to understand that death-in-life
must be avoided. His father felt the
same way, and avoided it by commit-
ting suicide, death being preferable to
death-in-life. Barrett believes he can
find life-in-life, though not before
seriously entertaining thoughts of em-
bedding the bullet of a luger in his
brain.
Delusions of grandeur raging,
Barrett undertakes once and for all to-
Anderson Series concert
By PERRIKNIZE SUNDAY'S PROGRAM only in- competing. Anderson was at the piano,
A rainy Sunday afternoon brought to creased in excellence as it progressed, and Charles Pantely on the bassoon.
the ears of a privileged few one of the beginning with the Mozart Quintet in E- Next came a recital of the Bach
finest concerts I have seen performed flat for piano and winds. The oboist, Sonata in G for viola de gamba and
in Ann Arbor this year. In the echoing Bonnie Griffiths, played so sublimely in keyboard. The cello was substituted
chamber of the Pendleton Room, An- certain passages, with such clear tone here. Cellist Eileen Folson executed the
drew Anderson and friends put out their and musicality, that one felt transpor- unique interpretation with great skill
best for a small but emotional audien- ted. Likewise, the french hornist, and feeling, but her tone tended to lose
ce. Joanne Cromy played an echo of those its clarity during certain long crescen-
This is the fourth in a little-known same passages and never faltered in dos. The Bach work is very demanding
series called"The Anderson Concerts", tone. The clarinetist, Richard Shillea, and was handled better than average
now in its second summer. Andrew An- played with a freeness and purity of by Folson, and impressively by Ander-
derson is a doctoral candidate in piano sound that seemed to engulf the son, who imparted a grace and freeness
performance at the School of Music. He listeners from all corners of the room. to Bach's complexity.
began the series as a way to give him- The precision, tone, and musicality that After intermission, Folson and An-
self and his ,fellow students oppor- Mozart demands were all there, as the derson performed Beethoven's'
tunities to perform. musicians worked together without Variations on Ein Madchen oder Weib-
prove (or disprove) "scientifically" the
existence of God: "No, instead of
savoring the ordinany pleasures of
leisure or gleaning the rewards of
philanthropy or enjoying intellectual
companionship, he must concoct one of
the strangest schemes ever hit upon by
the mind of man." Venturing into a
cave, he waits for God to manifest him-
self. If He does not appear within three
weeks, Barrett, convinced that life is
without purpose, vows to take his own
life. Happily and absurdly, a nagging
toothache drives him out of the cave
early. He wanders into a greenhouse
where Allie Huger resides and collap-
ses of exhaustion.
Allie, a young woman whose shock
treatments at a sanitarium have
caused her to forget the conventions of
ordinary life, has just escaped con-
finement. Initially her goal is simply to
maintain an everyday existence: "All
See PERCY'S, Page 7 .
a gem
chen from the Magic Flute by Mozart,
and Faure's Elegy for cello and piano.
Folson and Anderson infused the Faure
with a controlled passion that is just
right for this piece. Folson milked her
insturment to produce one of the most
exquisite and moving cello performan-
ces I have ever seen. And again, Ander-
son provided a sensitive accom-
paniment.
FLUTIST ASAKO Yoshida, looking
likea Tahitian native girl, her beautiful
oriental face framed by her long black
hair and an exotic flower, caused one to
wonder as she walked onstage whether
her flute playing could possibly match
her lovely appearance. Silvery sweet
notes issued from her instrument as she
performed Faure's Sicilienne for flute
and piano, op. 78 and the Hungarian
Pastoral Fantasy by Doppler. Both the
Faure and the Doppler were given
graceful and strong performances.
Yoshida's tonal quality is excep-
tional-the flute becomes an extension
of her-a part of her breathing. It soars
and dips and seduces the listeners with
its unreal beauty. Only in the most dif-
ficult final bars of the Doppler did
Yoshida seem to be playing the in-
strument instead of it's sound just
pouring out of her.
Anderson's performance of the
Schumann Arabesque, op. 18, a moving
finale to this fine program, was played
with thoughtfulness, precision, and
genuine excitement. He made the piano
sound warm, like a woodwind or string
instrument -sounds warm-the effect
was inspiring. The audience, by now
completely elated, filled the hall with
long and enthusiastic applause.
If this is the caliber of student
musicians that are now being produced
by our music school-artists who
sound as good or better than many
professionals, the classical music
community has much to look forward to
when these young people begin their
careers.
Anderson promises there will be
more to come. When? "Probably
November", he says. Keep your ear to
the ground and you may yet hear of the
time and place for the next in this
remarkable concert series.
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