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Arts
Friday, April 14, 2017 — 5
COURTESY OF SANAM MARVI
CLASSICAL MUSIC COLUMN
Springtime, breeze and
Bach on the lawn
Wednesday morning I knew
exactly what I was going to
write about tonight. I woke
up to find the whole day
directed toward the object
of my desire, a concert by
the ensembles A Far Cry and
Roomful of Teeth taking place
in the evening. Last week I
interviewed
the
composers
and a violinist involved in it
for this publication. This week
I attended a discussion by the
composer Ted Hearne, whose
music and presence was an
integral part of the program. I
hadn’t been this excited about
any one single thing for several
months, at least. I was going
to attend the concert, go home
and pour my heart out about
Caroline Shaw, Ted Hearne and
the incomparable virtuosity of
these two ensembles.
But I can’t write about it
now. I just can’t find the words.
It was simply too good, and
happened too recently. It seems
cliché, but it’s true. I’m still
internalizing the experience,
and before I try to tell you
anything about it, I have to live
with it for a bit. But here we are,
and this is my last column of the
year. So I’ll make this promise
— in a few months time, when
we all return to Ann Arbor, I’ll
have figured out something to
say. But in the meantime, let’s
talk about Bach.
During my final two years
of high school, I studied music
as a boarding student, at a
school that was technically
part of a university. Most of us
students lived on campus, and
— lacking a car or other means
of
transportation
—
that’s
basically where we spent all
of our time. Usually our days
were filled with the work of
honing our art, but as the end
of the academic year drew in
upon us in the springtime,
often we would find a few
hours to sit and simply enjoy
the newly pleasant weather.
At the heart of campus there
was a little collection of grass,
trees and picnic tables where I
and some friends would sit and
read.
Across the grass there was
sometimes
a
woman
who,
on particularly sunny and
pleasant days, would practice
the violin in the open air. It isn’t
an extremely common thing,
I’ve found, for a musician to
practice their instrument in a
place where they can be easily
overheard by others, especially
other
musicians.
Generally
the fear of judgment might
dissuade one from such an
act, but this violinist seemed
to have no such reservations.
And she was, after all, very
good, and the weather was
very attractive. But as I would
sit reading, I would listen
half-attentively to her music,
which, almost invariably, was
the solo music of J.S. Bach.
Bach is a name that is nearly
universally recognizable. Even
those who aren’t musicians or
listeners of classical generally
know something about him
(even if it’s only his Toccata
in D Minor). And this is with
good reason: He is, after all,
generally
regarded
as
the
greatest composer in all of
history, a reputation which
I find to be well deserved.
Everything he touched came
out perfect. There is just no
bad piece by Bach, as far as I
can tell. But if I were to pick
just one little corner of his
music to use to introduce him
to others, it would have to
be his music for solo string
instruments.
Nearly everyone is familiar
with the first movement of the
first cello suite (if you think
you’re not, go listen to it and
realize you’re wrong), but
that famous piece is merely
the beginning of a huge body
of work that is breathtaking.
Over the course of his life,
Bach composed three sonatas
and three partitas for solo
violin and six suites for solo
cello, somewhere around five
hours of music. All of it is
worth listening to, but there
are definitely moments that
stand out. The Chaconne from
the Partita in D Minor comes
to mind, as does the Fugue
from the Sonata in C Major.
One of the most appealing
things
about
Bach’s
solo
string music is the air of
simplicity it conveys. While
it is (like all of Bach’s music)
extremely
complex
and
nuanced, somehow he is able
to convey the impression of
plainness — plainness not in
the sense of something boring
or ordinary, but in the sense
of a sort of forthrightness,
a lack of pretension. The
sound of someone playing
alone, almost to themselves,
transmits a feeling that the
music is somehow speaking
directly to you, that you are
hearing something which no
one else is hearing. More than
that, it simply sounds truthful,
somehow.
The
stunning
violinist Hilary Hahn once
remarked that she hasn’t gone
a day since she was eight years
old
without
playing
Bach,
because he is “the touchstone
that keeps my playing honest.”
This honesty is something that
you can hear in the music.
And maybe it is just the
associations I have with this
music, but to me it sounds like
something else I inexplicably
tie to honesty: a sunny day.
When I hear it I think of
spring weather, and when I
find myself in spring weather,
I want to hear it. Now that it
seems spring has finally come
to Ann Arbor for good this
year, I took a few hours out
of my week to just sit outside
and listen to Bach, something
which I also did last year and a
practice I highly recommend.
It’s a meditation of sorts, a
space that you can create
outside of the stress and the
worry of the end of term and of
finals, a place where you can
exist as merely yourself, alone
with the music.
So, if you can find a moment
for it, this is my suggestion,
especially if you are feeling
the pressure of the close of
semestre.
Go
outside
and
take a walk, silently. Meander
through the Arb or down to the
Huron. Avoid thinking about
all the things that trouble
you. Find a pleasant patch of
grass, lie down and put on a
recording of Bach. Exist in
that moment for as long as
you can. When you’re done, I
promise, for whatever reason
things will be better.
DAYTON
HARE
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
UMS presents Sufi poetry
“I fill this earthen vessel with
love for my Beloved / I fill this
earthen vessel with love for my
Lord / I fear only the wrath of
Allah / I fear only the wrath
of my Lord” — “Mahi Yaar Di
Gharoli” by Sachal Sarmast,
Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain
Sanam
Marvi,
renowned
singer of Pakistan and South Asia,
performs
many
poems like “Mahi
Yaar Di Gharoli”
in
the
native
languages of her
country. Trained in
Sufi and folk music,
her voice captivates
audiences with her
chillingly hypnotic
and beautiful tones.
Generally,
Marvi
performs
for Pakistani and South Asian
audiences, where she is in high
demand. However, she decided to
return to the United States for her
fourth tour.
“[I] saw it as an opportunity
to perform for non-South Asian
audiences. [I] felt that this was
great opportunity to get [my]
music across” Marvi said through
translator Arieb Azhar, a guest
artist performing with Marvi.
Born in the Pakistani province
of Sindh, Marvi sings in languages
such as Sindhi, Saraiki, Punjabi,
Urdu
and
Hindi,
which
are
prevalent around different areas of
the Indus River.
“They are connected languages,
but of course very different,” Marvi
said. “The message of the poems [I
sing are] the same.”
Marvi’s career in music began at
a very young age. Her father trained
her, and upon realizing her talent,
he exposed her to the masters of
Pakistani classical music.
“Anyone who wants to get
into music seriously has to start
studying from the basics and the
basics are classical music whether
you choose to specialize in folk,
semi classical or classical. But to
gain a real knowledge of music you
have to study from the classical
masters,” Marvi said.
While music in Pakistan is
different than in the United States,
it is a highly valued aspect of society.
Respected
poets
write the majority
of the songs, and
folk music is an
important
part
of
carrying
on
traditions
and
messages of love
and faith.
“90 percent of
the folk music in Pakistan consists
in singing the poetry of the various
poets of Pakistan who have written
Sufi poetry in the diverse languages
of Pakistan. So people sing that
poetry and take that message
forward,” Marvi said.
The messages of Sufism strive
to teach the customs of Pakistan
and to preserve these traditions
through song. On a deeper level,
these songs serve to connect the
audience with something within
themselves.
“People say that Sufism is the
mystical side of Islam, but the Sufis
themselves say that Sufism is a
message for all humanity,” Marvi
said. “The message is an inclusive
message of universal humanity,
of connecting with each other as
human beings before anything else.
The message is one of connecting
with the divine inside each of us in
our own ways and connecting with
the oneness of all existence.”
Marvi does not sing in English,
but that does not prevent anyone
from
understanding
the
true
beauty of her lyrics. Whether one
is fluent in a Pakistani language
or not, all will be able to relate to
emotion that Marvi draws from.
“Even
if
someone
doesn’t
understand the language, they
will understand the sounds that
are being created through her
vocals, through the instruments
that are being played … Music is
the same all over the world. Notes
are the same, being in tune is the
same … they will understand the
feeling of communion through the
performance,” Marvi said.
Marvi is extremely popular in
her home country. According to
Azhar, her success is due to her
proper training by the masters.
“It was just a matter of time
before [I] became exposed to the
public,” Marvi said. “The first time
it came about in 2009 when [I] was
picked up to perform at this very
respectable television program on
folk and classical music.”
Afterwards,
Coke
studio,
financed by Coca Cola, signed
with Marvi and she has performed
with them for the past seven years.
Arieb has also performed with this
contemporary Pakistan program.
Marvi’s career skyrocketed from
there as more and more people
flocked to hear her mesmerizing
singing.
“The only message [I] can give
is to encourage people to come and
listen to the music. [I hope] to put on
a great performance,” Marvi said.
By bringing Sanam Marvi to the
University, UMS is creating an even
more diverse array of performers.
As a solo artist from across the
globe, Marvi adds to the cultivation
of the art community in Ann Arbor.
Her traditions and unique style
offer a voice for a culture that is
often overlooked.
FALLON GATES
Daily Arts Writer
Although last season “Veep”
closed — more like slammed —
a door in Selina’s (Julia Louis-
Dreyfus, “Seinfeld”) face, it
opened another one
to the possibilities
following
her
rejection
by
“both the people
of
America
and
Congress.”
The
acclaimed comedy
returns
for
its
sixth season after
Selina’s bid for the presidency
took a comedically unfortunate
and unintentionally realistic
turn — something her character
is quite familiar with. Though
now she’s free to explore who
she is outside of the White
House, it seems that the show’s
writers are still figuring out
what this looks like.
While
Selina’s
loss
unknowingly foresaw the turn
the real-world election would
take following its finale, this
season draws on the events
marking the life of a former
president,
taking
its
story
away from the White House
into uncharted territory for
the series. Not many shows
can leave audiences on the
note of uncertainty that the
series did in the previous
season finale. “Veep” did so
with the understanding that
the inherent humor central to
the show is Selina’s inability
to get what she wants. But this
left the show in
a tricky spot,
fragmenting
its
ensemble
cast
whose
hilarity
is
rooted in their
dynamic,
and
disassociating
almost entirely
from the political sphere in
which most of its comedic
action took place.
However,
the
season
premiere does a beautiful job
reintroducing its cast, newly
situated
in
their
careers
following their ejection from
the White House. The premiere
opens on a CBS Morning
interview between Selina and
Dan Egan (Reid Scott, “Dean”),
in which she describes the past
year following her loss and her
reacquaintance with herself.
As she and Dan awkwardly
banter, we glimpse Amy (Anna
Chlumsky, “The End of the
Tour”)
watching
from
her
new
fiancé’s
congressional
campaign headquarters, before
cutting to Ben (Kevin Dunn,
“Code Black”) watching from
the Uber office where he’s
clearly the oldest and most
out-of-touch employee. And
from
Mike’s
(Matt
Walsh,
“Ted”) TV, we see children’s
programming, marking his new
life as a stay-at-home dad —
though his ambition to return
to work is soon revealed.
Following last season, it
was unclear where Selina’s
staffers would end up, but we
now find them in scenarios in
which their personalities are
least likely to gel smoothly.
Amy’s crass language is found
offensive by the small-town
campaign
staff
and
Ben’s
lack of a social conscience is
found distasteful by the other
Uber
employees.
Though
their fundamental humor as
characters is well-maintained,
the desire to see them reunite
is not lost.
Rather than focusing on
the team’s former proximity,
the new season taps into
the unexplored potential of
Selina’s
relationships
with
some of the other characters
—
among
which
are
her
ex-husband
Andrew
(David
Pasquesi, “Groundhog Day”),
former bodyguard and new
daughter-in-law
Marjorie
(Clea
DuVall,
“Argo”)
and
most importantly, her devoted
body man Gary (Tony Hale,
“Arrested
Development”).
Gary and Selina’s relationship,
though intertwined from the
start, has taken a turn into
new territory, as he grows even
more protective of her and
becomes
hilariously
clingy,
especially making his dislike of
Andrew known.
While Gary overcompensates
in his efforts to make his
importance to Selina known,
Selina’s
own
quest
for
relevance,
something
that
has evaded her throughout
her career, is met with just as
many obstacles. Seeing Selina
fall in the previous season
finale was heartbreaking, but
watching her try to climb back
up is made even more painful
by her desperation to return
to her former office. At times
it’s funny, like when she sits
behind the desk of the Oval
Office replica in President
Hugh’s
new
presidential
library in the second episode,
but at others it feels like a tired
joke — especially as the stakes
are much lower now (what’s
left to pursue after losing the
highest office in the nation?).
Outside of the White House,
Selina’s
relentless
ambition
feels
more
like
unbridled
desperation, and her comeback
plot feels unfocused as the
series quickly diffuses her
efforts to start a foundation
then shuts down the possibility
of her presidential library.
While she tries to secure
her legacy as president, Selina
is relegated to an office in the
South Bronx, where her new
headquarters embody her sense
of being discarded from the
sphere of political influence.
There,
she
argues
with
Catherine (Sarah Sutherland,
“Shut Up and Drive”) over her
late mother’s endowment and
attempts to retain what little
control she has by refusing to
let Marjorie call her “mom.”
Though it’s all still funny,
especially
in
the
events
following the season premiere
—
including
Jonah’s
failed
attempt to woo his dates into
the possibility of a relationship
and the revelation of Andrew’s
infidelity — there’s a touch
of more despairing humor,
possibly
mirroring
the
dissatisfaction characterizing
our nation currently.
Despite the season’s initial
struggle and lack of clear
direction for Selina, it’s sharply
written
dialogue,
well
of
Kennedy jokes and references
to Selina’s constant failure find
themselves right at home again
in the new season.
The sixth season of “Veep”
premieres on HBO April 16th.
HBO
Latest season of ‘Veep’
struggles to find footing
SHIR AVINADAV
Daily Arts Writer
TV REVIEW
“Veep”
HBO
Season 6 Premiere
Sundays at 10:30
p.m.
UMS Presents
Sanam Marvi
April 15th @ 8 p.m.
Rackham
Auditorium
$22 - $42