Music – Page 94 – [art]seen

REVIEW: Handel’s Messiah

December 12, 2014December 12, 2014 Tsukumo

UMS Choral Union after the performance. Photo courtesy of President Kenneth Fisher from UMS.

Whenever I sing Handel’s Messiah, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be able to share this wonderful music with hundreds of people.

These annual performances mean a lot to audiences and performers alike. Some have been a part of these performances for decades. Some are experiencing Messiah for the first time. All of these people come into one space — none other than the historic Hill Auditorium — to enjoy this year’s performances. By experiencing Handel’s Messiah together, we are joining not only the thousands of people that have seen this performance in the Hill Auditorium for the past century, but also many more that have seen the Choral Union for more decades before, and even more — millions of people that are either involved in or watching Messiah during this holiday season across the world. We are being a part of something that is bigger than just ourselves. To me, that is a wonderful feeling of connection with people across the borders and time periods.

Messiah is rarely performed in full; here at UMS, we don’t go for anything less than full, 3-hour performance. Honestly, it could be tiring to listen to any music that long, especially if you aren’t the biggest classical music fan. However, the Choral Union, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, and the soloists have convinced us that it’s worth it to spend 3 hours out of your precious hours in the weekend. The soloists — Ms. Brugger, Mr. Daniels, Mr. Ainsworth, and Mr. Pittsinger — executed their arias with precision and virtuosity. The basso continuo players including Mr. Parmentier on harpsichord supported the soloists, the chorus, and the orchestra flawlessly. From the first chord in the Overture to the very last chord in “Worthy is the Lamb,” each and every ensemble member put out their best.

I often get asked which movement is my most favorite in Messiah. This is a difficult question to answer. As cheesy as it sounds, I like all the movements — but if I have to pick one, I might say No. 44 — “Hallelujah.” Yeah, it’s that one. Choral Union members (and anyone else that has sung Messiah) will probably laugh at me for choosing THE one that everyone knows. But the moment Dr. Blackstone hits the downbeat for “Hallelujah,” the house lights go up, and the entire audience, choir, and soloists stand up to sing together… It’s powerful, and I get goosebumps every time. I could see the soprano Ms. Brugger smile as she finally gets to sing with the fellow sopranos in the choir. I could see the old man in the audience pull out his reading glasses to follow the score and sing with us. I could see Mr. VanOrnum, our organist, joyfully accompany us. I could see the choir members singing their hearts out, perhaps to show that we actually know how to sing past the “Hallelujah, Hallelujah…” part. Every time I sing Hallelujah, I truly feel the connection with each and every one in the auditorium. This is the power of music at its finest.

May this tradition continue forever and ever. Amen.

REVIEW: FUSION OF CULTURES

December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 Phillip Wachowiak

Although it got off to a bit of a slow start, Fusion of Cultures soon picked up and jumped around quickly from one act to another. In an effort to keep people around until the end, the schedule of events was hidden from the audience, but I kind of liked the uncertainty, especially since I didn’t gain anything by knowing who was up next.

First of all, the food. There was a range of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and African cuisine, and let’s just make it clear that all of it was absolutely delicious. There may be a variety of finals breakfasts and meals around campus, but this kind of food is rare and should be cherished. I drank a sweet Mango Lassi while munching on fried plantains, refried beans and hummus, to name a few of the dishes that I can remember.

The best part about the food was that it was not even the best part. We (the audience) watched a number of dance routines juxtaposed with poetry readings, videos, and even a fashion show.

As I’m sure we were supposed to see, the variety of cultures that we saw were surprisingly similar. Yes the exact dance moves differed, but all of them had an invigorating, sophisticated quality that one does not normally see at a frat party.

Furthermore, the poetry read was heated, especially in the weak of recent national tragedies. It is a sad fact that much of what we heard was characterized by oppression and discrimination, but that is the truth of our world for people other than white heterosexual males.

Best of all, I think, the room was packed. This season has been especially filled with protests and anger in our society, and Fusion of Cultures was a reminder of why we want and need to celebrate diversity in the United States. Throughout the night I watched dozens of talented individuals perform for a packed room and everyone was enjoying their evening. To me, that fit perfectly with the name of the event.

PREVIEW: Handel’s Messiah

December 6, 2014December 6, 2014 Acrimonious Funk

Handel's Messiah Poster (courtesy of UMS) — Handel’s Messiah Poster (courtesy of UMS)

What: Handel’s Messiah
Who: Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the UMS Choral Union
Where: Hill Auditorium
When: Saturday, Dec. 16th at 8pm
and Sunday, Dec. 17th at 2pm

It has been said that ‘the holiday season in Ann Arbor is never officially underway until Handel’s Messiah is performed at Hill Auditorium.’ While the local radio stations may disagree, the truth is that Handel’s Messiah is consistently one of the best performances you will see at Hill. It has become a familial tradition for many people to attend every year, and for good reason. Handel’s Messiah is a grandiose piece in both in terms of quality and the talent required to put on a performance of it. The talent that will be performing this weekend consists of the UMS Choral Union in conjunction with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.

REVIEW: Dillon Francis

December 5, 2014December 5, 2014 Gabriella

I had high expectations walking through the doors of the Royal Oak Music Theatre Wednesday night to see Dillon Francis kill the game with his different musical personalities. He can do it all. I was pleasantly surprised to hear literally everything Dillon can be good at. From cranking up the deep house (“now, we will gone one deeper”), consisting of heavy pulsating base, to mixing in raps, and then trapping out to extremely twerkable music, his full range of style was explored. The range of genres is well demonstrated through his current album and previous work. Whereas many electronic music producers stick to one niche, he is one of the few that constantly prove his versatility at the mixing table.

Dillon kept the energy of the house high all night with his expert production skills in his musical choices and his visuals done by his visual team. Funny, exciting, and overall trippy images were projected on his elaborate set up that featured screens in the shape of mountainous rocks with him in the middle of it. The energy was contagious, and I could not stop moving to the beat. By starting off with “Not Butter” which features a looping “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter,” he set the set tone on the up. He played the entirety of his “Money Sucks, Friends Rule” album which features many collaborations with producers like Martin Garrix on “Set Me Free” and Major Lazer and Stylo G on “We Can Make it Bounce.” By having the artistic freedom to mix up his awesome album, you could easily tell that he wasn’t just pressing play up on stage. He created a unique experience for the audience based on the energy of the crowd and what kind of atmosphere he wanted us to experience. My favorite part of the night was when he remixed Ginuwine’s “Pony,” a 1990s sensual classic and super fun to dance to.

The interesting part about his production were that dedicated fans could instantly recognize what part of his persona he was emulating through his musical choies. The trap beats and inclusion of hip-hop, drum n’ bass, and rap are DJ Rich As F**k’s specialty, while DJ Hanzel is devoted to deep house. What Dillon does outside of production is super smart. Through highly entertaining and scripted videos, he shows his fans that he can do a lot more than making fun music. He’s a great self-promoter, the furthest thing from shy, and it only adds to the larger than life feeling you get when you see him in person. He loves to have fun, which makes you want to follow along and have fun too.

After his signature “Get Low” featuring DJ Snake, Dillon ended with “Love in the Middle of a Fire Fight,” a perfect anthem ending to the show that put everyone in a satisfied mood. I was left with the album ringing through my head on the way home, but it was extremely worth it.

PREVIEW: Fusion of Cultures

December 3, 2014December 3, 2014 Phillip Wachowiak

Fusion of Cultures

When: Saturday, December 6th

Where: Michigan Union Ballroom

Cost: FREE

Fusion of Cultures is an event where many multi-ethnic groups on campus come together and showcase different aspects of their culture.

What kinds of things will be there? Dancing, Singing, Theater, and of course FREE FOOD from around the world.

Brought to you this year by:
The African Students Association(ASA), The Arab Students Association (ASA), The Persian Students Association (PSA), The Pakistani Students Association (PSA), Michigan Pakistanis (MPak) and The Michigan Latino Assembly (MLA)!!!!!

The link to the Facebook event is HERE.

PREVIEW: Handel’s Messiah

December 3, 2014December 3, 2014 Tsukumo

Now in its 135th season, the UMS Choral Union continues its tradition of performing the holiday classic, Handel’s Messiah, again with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and four amazing soloists. This oratorio is a good old friend for the Choral Union — some of the choir members have sung this for more than three decades with this ensemble! The most famous song from Messiah is the Hallelujah chorus, in which the audience will be welcomed to join in singing (if you dare!). This also marks the last time that Dr. Jerry Blackstone, who has conducted UMS Choral Union for many seasons, will be leading these Messiah performances with the Choral Union.

Also, if you have an ugly holiday sweater that you’re looking for an excuse to wear, join the UMS Student Committee’s Ugly Sweater Party on December 6 at 6pm, in Rackham Building! The admission fee for this event covers the ticket to that night’s performance of Handel’s Messiah as well. More details about this event can be found here.

When: Saturday, December 6 at 8pm -and- Sunday, December 7 at 2pm

Where: Hill Auditorium

Tickets: $10 and up for students; or use the Passport to the Arts to go for FREE!