What: The Nutcracker!
When: F8:00pm, 2:00pm and8:00pm, 2:00pm
Where: The Power Center
How Much: Adults: $25, Seniors: $20, Children: $15 (at Michigan Union Ticket Office)
Why You Should Go: It’s the holiday season! And what better way to feel in the spirit than see the Nutcracker performed by the Ann Arbor Ballet Theatre/CAS Ballet Theatre School?? I definitely can’t think of one. So come out, take a break from finals, and enjoy an amazing and much-beloved ballet!
When: This Friday, Dec 12 at 8:00 pm
Where: The Ark
How Much: General Admission: $25, Reserved: $32
What: An amazing concert by a talented and passionate ensemble. They are in the folk/soul/blues/pop genre, but have an incredibly unique and powerful sound.
Why you should come: Because when I first saw these two perform live, I instantly fell in love, and ever since they have become one of my favorite groups out there.
If you are looking for a break from the end-of-semester craziness, come to the concert by the University Philharmonia Orchestra! Conducted by Oriol Sans, UPO culminates the semester with a diverse program consisting of Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 45, “Farewell”; John Corigliano’s Promenade Overture; Gioacchino Rossini’s Italian in Algiers Overture; and finally, Leonard Bernstein’s Divertimento for Orchestra. From old to new, and from walking off-stage to walking on-stage (you’ll find out about this when you come!), this program is sure to entertain you for the night.
When: Monday, December 8 – 8pm
Where: Hill Auditorium
How much: Free! (No ticket required)
MUSKET has once again accomplished an amazing performance. The singing acting and set were as amazing as they have been for most of their other performances. I could blather on about the amazing skills of everyone involved, but I don’t think that will accomplish anything (though I will say more at the end of this review). Instead, I will focus on the interesting creative liberty that the director took with the story.
This change was the addition of a framing device at the beginning of the story. Instead of telling it like a period piece, they chose to turn it into a story that a group of individuals is telling to one another after breaking into Sweeney Todd’s barber shop. There are many advantages to this framing device. It allows the production to be smaller since the actors could perform tasks usually reserved to crew without breaking suspension of belief, there are no set changes since the story is all told in the abandoned barber shop, the costumes are cheap since the actors can wear their own clothes, and it allows the director to add their unique spin to the story without compromising the meaning.
Unfortunately, there are also many disadvantages as well. First, the production felt small. Sondheim musicals are large productions and deserve to be performed that way in order to produce the desired effects in the audience. Next, the audience is left waiting for the transition to period attire. Throughout the beginning of the production, I was waiting until they would transition into period appropriate attire and the real show to start. This served as a large distraction from the otherwise amazing performances. Finally, and most importantly, the change didn’t add anything to the musical. If one wants to make changes to an existing piece, they should be deliberate. They should add emphasis or form a new perspective. This framing device did none of that. It felt somewhat lazily tacked on without much reason.
Ultimately, the performance was an absolute pleasure to see, but the addition of the framing device was useless. Would I recommend it? Absolutely, the performances were spectacular and some people might like the change, but I’d personally prefer to see it how it was meant to be performed. That is my final verdict on the show as a whole, now onto some mindless applause for the performances.
First, bravo on the accents. To my American ear, none of the accents sounded faked or forced. That was really shocking to me. Second, special commendations to Brian Flores playing Tobias Ragg and Noah Weisbart playing Adolpho Pirelli. For me, and my firend, those were the two breakout stars of the production. Weisbart had us laughing and Flores made us sympathetic. Finally, personally, I think the best part was the performance “Not While I’m Around” by Brian Flores and Emma Sohlberg playing Mrs. Lovett. This really was a beautiful performance. They both sounded like they truly cared for one another, while Sohlberg still kept that uneasiness necessary for Mrs. Lovett’s character. It must have been incredibly difficult to accomplish, but it was amazing.
Friday afternoon Gayletha Nichols, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, presented a masterclass focusing on what judges and panelists are thinking as a singer presents a 10 minute audition. To simulate an audition, each singer performing in the masterclass brought four prepared arias, and began their time by introducing themselves and their pianist, then beginning with the aria of their choosing. Following discussion of their selected piece, Ms. Nichols selected their second piece from the remaining three prepared arias. During the two hour masterclass six graduate student singers sang: Tory Wood, Lonnie Reed, Rehanna Thelwell, Elaina Robbins, Paul Grosvenor, and Kaswanna Kanyinda.
Tory Wood began the program by singing The Presentation of the Rose from Der Rosenkavalier providing the audience with a “precious” and “tender” interpretation of the duet. Ms. Nichols pointed out that this piece is a less than ideal as audition aria because it is actually a duet in the opera. Due to this, Ms. Wood’s interpretation of the piece could concern a panelist since the volume required to be heard over an orchestra as well as the mezzo-soprano would be much greater than the volume required to be heard over just a piano as in the audition setting. Ms. Wood cast volume concerns aside after her presentation of Tornami a vagheggiar from Handel’s Alcina, however, Ms. Nichols desired a more varied character from the first aria to the second – a recurring theme throughout the night.
Lonnie Reed began with a big sing, Asile héréditaire from Guillaume Tell. While Mr. Reed stated that he felt very comfortable with the piece, Ms. Nichols suggested that the piece was not quite ready to be performed as his opening aria and that he could be far more successful using another piece from his list to open an audition. Here she stressed that the 1st two pages of your first aria must show off only your strengths, and should be some of the strongest material in your repertoire. By showing that you are technically sound in the first two pages, you allow the panelist to connect and “stay with you and your character” emotionally for the entire audition.
Following Paul Grosvenor’s performance of Warm as the autumn light from Ballade of Baby Doe Ms. Nichols addressed the strong, specific character choices which a singing actor must make. Here she reiterated that if the performer believes it, the audience will as well.
The masterclass ended with a brief Q&A session which focused on resumes, type casting and repertoire choice. However, before leaving Ms. Nichols emphasized how important it is to have something to say in every piece which you sing, reminding her audience that music must be about so much more than the notes on the page.
Don’t miss the amazingly talented Yuja Wang and Leonidas Kavakos playing at the Power Center this afternoon! Widely recognized as one of the most important pianists of her generation, Yuja is frequently praised for her ability to execute the most complicated technique of her repertoire, the depth of her musical insight, and her charisma on stage. Joining Yuja, violinist Leonidas Kavakos is internationally renowned for his virtuosity, superb musicianship, and integrity. Combining the mind-blowing talent of these superb musicians will undoubtedly make for a fantastic performance. Check out a recap of the details below.
Yuja Wang and Leonidas Kavakos
Sunday, 23 November 2014, 4 pm
Hill Auditorium
$20 tickets
