REVIEW: Minnesota Orchestra

This last Saturday, the Minnesota Orchestra, led by Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä, delivered a lovely and pulsed performance of some of Jean Sibelius’s most beloved works. This sprawling orchestra shone under the lights of the Hill and filled the auditorium with a melancholic music perfect for a January concert.

Making its UMS premiere was Sibelius’s 1990 work, “Snöfrid” (which translates to Snow Peace). A part of an unfinished opera by the late composer, Snöfrid is accompanied by a poem encompassing the love that Gunnar, a young warrior, has for a female spirit in the woods. This lovely piece was accompanied by the UMS Choral Union, and translated lyrics were provided for the audience members. This being said, the words and meanings of Snöfrid seemed to not fit the context when separated from its opera, and I would have preferred that we weren’t delivered the slightly disconcerting translation of Snöfrid’s poetic movements.

The true highlight of this concert was the performance of Sibelius’s “Concerto in d minor,” featuring the talented American-born Finnish violinist Elina Vähälä. Her presence was truly striking as she ventured onto center stage in her red performance dress, and to bear witness to her poised and polished playing was utterly captivating. It’s always a precious thing to see an artist truly tuned into their craft, as if the only one in the room.

Sibelius’s Symphony no. 5, played for the second half of the concert, led differently than the likes of his Concerto, and while the music seemingly had less predictable direction (melody-wise), there were swells of triumph and hone-ins of delicate moments.

This vein of music not only provides a lovely listening experience, but a lively visual demonstration of Osmo Vänskä’s unique European conducting style. The complexity of this music easily allows an audience member to find themselves being immersed into this crafted music. All things considered, this music of Sibelius has an unpredictable melodic direction, and often times I felt lost amidst the come-and-go musical ideas. However, as the work of Sibelius often cuts its own path, the sounds of Finnish musical heritage seemingly contrasts the more widely-known sound of Western classical music, such as the works of Mozart. This musical experience, ultimately, was an immersive and edifying time that deserves admiration and celebration.

REVIEW: NT Live: All My Sons

Upon the uncertain arrival of their deceased son’s sweetheart, everything that has happened to the Keller family seems to be coming back all at once. The year is 1947, and we, the audience, are dropped into the backyard of Joe and Kate Keller’s family home. Since losing their eldest son Larry in the war, the Kellers and their remaining son, Chris, all have found their individual ways of coping with the grief that accompanies the loss of a loved one. Having found closure, Chris and Ann Deever, the once-sweetheart of Chris’s brother, both find in each other an opportunity to start fresh and build a life that is their own. From this comes a great heartbreak within Kate, who still refuses to give up the hope of her son’s return. Overshadowing these, however, is the reemergence of Joe Keller’s old secrets, and a new stirring of bad blood among Joe Keller and the family of Steve Deever, old neighbor and once-business partner who is now incarcerated for a crime that is still denied.

From the Old Vic in London, National Theatre Live presented an absolutely captivating production of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” and despite the medium of live broadcast, the gripping performances and the quality coverage allowed for the entering-in of a truly epic yet intimate experience in classic theatre. Miller’s writing to this day stands as strong and compelling content that not only sparks the imagination of an audience, but introduces challenging themes and ideas that often act as convictions that remain ever-present.

Having seen “All My Sons” a time before this at a college level, I truly enjoyed comparing my two viewing experiences, and ultimately stumbling upon some new realizations. For example, a great theme that is touched upon is the notion that when one’s light of honesty goes out, they live in the darkness. From NT Live, there was a noticeably greater hopelessness in the atmosphere that was put forth, and the consequences of deep-seated dishonesty seemed to be made more resonant with the audience members. Entering into this play can be quite challenging to watch, for it’s not only pulsed with family drama and tragedy, but also a close look at how selfishness can lead to a chaos that tears family apart.

Two elements in this production that felt almost mis-matched in my mind were the contrasting tones from the characters of Chris and Kate Keller. While both actors performed their parts with great competence, the moods of the deliveries felt almost too distinct as Chris Keller delivered lines that were relatable and natural, while Kate Keller’s delivery held a wistful melancholy that often brought the peripheral activity to a thoughtful stop.

I frankly did not care for the pre-show short film that explored the production and cast perspectives on Arthur Miller’s work. One can very easily enter into this play without a production note that tries to persuade audiences that the content and themes are comparable with our economic climate today. A great work of art such as this can often tempt those involved to feel as though “this story needs to be told, now more than ever,” but a work’s timeless quality is cheapened when a seemingly self-righteous view of current events is present.

With a paced beginning up until a truly-climactic ending like a contemporary Shakespearean Tragedy, NT Live’s “All My Sons” had me on the edge of my seat, entranced by the scope and intimacy of this show. I left the Michigan Theatre with adrenaline pumping through my veins, anticipating the next show from National Theatre Live that I hope to one day experience.

PREVIEW: Minnesota Orchestra

On Saturday, January 25th at 8:00 PM, join the Minnesota Orchestra at the Hill Auditorium as it returns for its first UMS performance since its 1972 debut in an all-Sibelius program, including the stunning and rarely heard  Snöfrid accompanied by the UMS Choral Union.

US-born Finnish Violinist Elina Vähälä will be making her UMS debut with Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, which features stunning technique and uncommonly beautiful melodies. The music of a melancholic winter makes this program a perfect concert for the end of January!

PREVIEW: NT Live: All My Sons

This Sunday, get ready to attend the Michigan Theatre’s presentation of Arthur Miller’s captivating drama, “All My Sons,” broadcast live in HD from the National Theatre in London.

Featuring Academy Award-winner Sally Field, “All My Sons” tells the story of a family’s secrets being laid bare, and the true cost of the American Dream.

This one-time screening event is taking place on January 19th at 7:00 PM. Be sure to take advantage of this unique opportunity to enjoy one of Arthur Miller’s most beloved plays!

 

REVIEW: Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life”

If we are given a free will, what we are responsible for? Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life is a meditative narrative that journeys through such a question. The beauty of Malick’s work lies in his consistent demonstration of deep meaning  through intricate layering, stunning cinematography, and an eye for the simple and the remarkable.

 

 

The true story of Franz Jägerstätter is of an Austrian farmer who conscientiously objects to joining Hitler’s fascist regime in World War II, undergoing bitter persecution and ultimately execution for such a stance. Throughout these trials, his deep faith in God and pure love for his family continually prompt an examination of conscience that progressively solidifies his inner call to honor the sanctity of all human life.

While this story of Franz Jägerstätter is considered to be Malick’s most sequential film to date, A Hidden Life goes deeper with what I would call a non-sequential analogous portrait of Christ’s Passion from the New Testament. As the audience follows Franz through his suffering that leads to execution, we are introduced to several characters that serve as representational figures of Jesus’s Passion: a judge as an interrogative Pontius Pilate-type, a taunting soldier, and Franz’s lawyer who acts as the Last Temptation of Christ, reminiscent of the Martin Scorsese film of the same title. Franz demonstrates that if we are given a free will and are capable of choosing the good, all actions, even controversial and solitary ones, have meaning. By refusing to swear any sort of public loyalty to Hitler, he sacrifices his life and the joys of home yet to come.

 

 

It is from this, however, that this film explores the dueling natures of freedom and captivity through juxtaposing sequences of Franz’s captivity with shots of his once-sublime home life. Malick captures leisure, family life, and earnest work to be simple and good, all in a truly atmospheric fashion that serves to encapsulate true freedom to live and love well. Having fought the good fight, Franz is executed. A final, long shot of him riding his beloved motorcycle home serves to represent the eternal resting place to which he journeys on. This film possessed an organic perfection that I have not encountered in a very long time. Suspended at the closing shot of our film, and still hanging in my mind, are George Eliot’s thoughtful remarks from Middlemarch:

“The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”

PREVIEW: Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life”

Coming this Friday to the Michigan Theatre is Terrence Malick’s latest work of cinema, A Hidden Life: 

Based on real events, A Hidden Life is the story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian peasant farmer who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II and is subsequently faced with charges for treason. His deep faith and his love for family, however, keep his spirit alive in the face of great hardship.

Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life will be playing at the Michigan Theatre December 20th through December 26th!

Visit michtheatre.org for specific showtimes and additional information!