Tag: Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra

REVIEW: Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s Music from Video Games

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On Saturday, November 17th at the Michigan Theater, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra held a concert called Music from Video Games, which was the opening night of their 2023-2024 Pops season of performances. They played various arrangements and medleys of the original soundtracks of Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Halo: Reach, and more. I love playing video games and I’ve always enjoyed concerts more when I was familiar with the music, but even for the music from games I haven’t played before like Metroid or Mega Man, I still had a good time. 

In addition to having music unique to each specific game, video game franchises such as Pokémon, Mario, Zelda, etc. all have iconic tunes for various occasions: healing, leveling up, losing a life, opening a chest, and many more. It’s similar to how McDonald’s has their famous jingle “I’m Lovin’ It”. The music is a core part of the game; listening to it is enough to embody the experience of playing it. The arrangements and medleys created a fun blend of familiarity and anticipation that made it super exciting whenever my favorite melodies came up.

The best part of the night for me was the concertmaster’s solo which was a bittersweet rendition of The Legend of Zelda’s main theme. The entire medley included OSTs from some throwback games like Spirit Tracks (2009) to the more recent Breath of the Wild (2017). It took me a bit to even realize the music was from Spirit Tracks until I heard the percussion using instruments to replicate the sounds of a train traveling on railroad tracks. My only wish is that there was a bigger feature of Zelda’s theme, perhaps with another violin solo or even better, a harp solo.

Music truly has such a big impact on the gaming experience and is actually something I listen to in my free time. For people who don’t have much experience with video games, it may seem bizarre, but I highly recommend listening to some tunes from Zelda as a start. It was genuinely a great event and I’d love to come back again next year.

 

REVIEW: Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra – Dvorak Symphony No. 7

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Despite having performed at the Michigan Theater several times as part of the Michigan Pops Orchestra, last Saturday was the first time I experienced the stage as an audience member. It is truly a gem on campus–the shining gilded walls, rich carpets, and warm lighting never fail to transport you to a different world. Plus, where else can you hop over to your nearby movie theater to see your local symphony orchestra play live?

On Saturday, March 18th, I had the pleasure of hearing the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra perform with violinist and International Tchaikovsky Competition medalist Kyung Sun Lee. Initially drawn in by the promise of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, I was also awarded lovely performances of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7 and Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”.

The concert opened with “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, featuring a solo meandering flute that is later joined by mellow horns and shimmery harp runs. Strings provide a soft, dreamy foundation for the woodwind melody to unwind and give the impression of a rolling, natural landscape. The ensemble did a wonderful job of melding sounds together into a cohesive form despite the fluid nature of the piece.

Following Debussy was the highly anticipated Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2, performed by Kyung Sun Lee. Lee’s sound was distinctly dark and rich, even through bright double stops and etude-like passages at the beginning of the concerto. The concert program mentioned that she plays a Guanerius violin, which was interesting to evaluate the sound quality live. I could go on and on about why I love this concerto, but here I will specifically highlight the second movement. The delicate violin solo is extremely exposed, both in terms of being octaves above the orchestra bed of lilting triplets and by having a different rhythmic feeling. Lee’s interpretation was a touch faster than what I was used to, but beautiful nonetheless. Because of the awkward rhythmic timing involved, entrances and exits are extremely difficult to place–I felt like the orchestra could have spent a little more time nailing these down with the soloist.

Concluding the concert was Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7. Juicy, triumphant, and distinctly Czech, this work was a pleasure to behold. Even as a somewhat regular classical concert-goer, I have difficulty digesting entire symphonies. However, the parts that definitely grabbed my attention were the second (Poco Adagio) and fourth (Finale Allegro) movements. The Poco Adagio features a rich string melody that gets passed off to the warm brass, while the Finale Allegro is a dark and explosive conclusion to the work.

Overall, I had a wonderful time listening to the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Looking forward, I hope to keep an eye out for the rest of the season to catch any interesting performances coming up!

PREVIEW: Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra – Dvorak Symphony No. 7

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This Saturday, March 18th, grab a seat at The Michigan Theater to hear A²SO’s take on Dvorak’s highly acclaimed Symphony No. 7 and Debussy’s charming “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”. Additionally, violinist and International Tchaikovsky Competition medalist Kyung Sun Lee will be joining the orchestra to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. 

To be honest, nothing makes me feel more old than being able to look at a concert program and have a strong reaction to what pieces are included. However, when I saw Dvorak, Debussy, and Prokofiev all together on the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s next program, I got very excited. It seemed *just my cup of tea*–as the concert-going grannies might say. 

I expect this particular combination of pieces to create a really lovely soundscape–Dvorak’s dreamy Czech melodies along with Debussy’s distinct impressionist sound will provide the perfect stress-relieving break in the midst of exams. On top of that, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 is among my favorite pieces of all time. While on the more conservative, melodically-rich side of Prokofiev’s work, the concerto is a patchwork of heartwrenching melodies and darker, turbulent passages.

Ticket information: https://a2so.com/event-directory/dvorak-7/?utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=Bookers%20%20Dvorak%207%20%20Symphony%20Snaps&utm_medium=email

 

REVIEW: The Music of Studio Ghibli

Nellie Shih Leave a comment

This past Saturday, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra performed a sold-out show at the Michigan Theater. Led and conducted by Wilbur Lin, the orchestra played arrangements of film scores from Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro. 

The concert was a delight. I have grown up watching Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films, and had been looking forward to this event since the start of the semester. Joe Hisaishi’s scores are particularly successful as not only the main themes are iconic, but each other piece from each film are unique, sweeping, whimsical, full of wonder, and simply beautiful to listen to. 

The Spirited Away arrangement perfectly encapsulated the mystery of the film, as well as the chaos that ensues as the story progresses. It was a treat to watch the orchestra play live, and being able to identify what instruments were playing what. With “Merry-Go-Round” and “Cave of Mind” from Howl’s Moving Castle, I loved hearing the same theme played via different techniques – plucking, or pizzicato, as well as the typical bowing technique I am most familiar with hearing. 

I also appreciated that Maestro Lin spoke between arrangements to discuss themes from the film, noting the differences between the more Hollywood dramatic scores of Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle and the more popular-and-familiar-at-the-time Japanese TV reminiscent score of Totoro. The Totoro Orchestra Stories were particularly joyful as the music is arranged to teach children about the different components to an orchestra – highlighting the woodwinds, strings, percussion, etc. by section before the orchestra as a whole launches into themes from the film. Local music teacher Momo Kajiwara also joined the stage as a narrator in Japanese. 

I had only been to one orchestra performance of a film score prior to this event. At the first event I attended, the symphony orchestra performed the entire score for the third Harry Potter film, with the film playing on a screen above the performers. I often find that when I watch a film or show, I do notice the score, but it is something I have to revisit after watching in order to fully appreciate. Hearing the score isolated from the context of the film with the Ghibli concert allowed me to be completely immersed in the music, and having the films played in the background was not necessary to be engaged and awed. 

And of course, seeing Totoro in the flesh was a welcome surprise:

PREVIEW: The Halloween Concert

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Happening on the very day itself, the Halloween Concert a 40+ years long Umich tradition features graduate conducting students who lead more than 125 costumed (Yes costumed!) musicians for a fun-filled, spooktacular concert.

I have heard about the Halloween concert for the last 2 years and I am overjoyed to finally attend it. It will have music for everyone to enjoy whether you are an orchestra nerd or a newcomer to classical music. If you don’t like attending orchestra concerts because of how formal they seem with their tuxedos and bow ties then seeing musicians dressed all goofy and silly will take the edge off. It is the only SMTD ticketed production that is open to kids of all ages so you know it’s an all-age favorite. 

You can also dress up to your heart’s desire for this event so you can take this as an opportunity to show off your Halloween spirit. In previous years the concert had funny skits to introduce musical pieces so you won’t only get to enjoy music, play dress up, see others in funny costumes but also see a funny skit or two. Doesn’t that sound like the best version of an orchestra concert?

Word on the grapevine is that the concert’s tickets are running out quickly! So grab you and your friends a good seat before it’s too late at: https://tickets.smtd.umich.edu/5200

REVIEW: Photography Exhibition: Images of Incarceration

Emma Pinchak Leave a comment

 

A little bit haunting, a whole lot confusing, maybe threatening. These pictures gave me the feeling of a kid from the Peanuts gang; kept from some secret like the unintelligible monotone of the adults’ voices. It was something special to be let in at all, but the opacity of the images’ meaning both disturbed and delighted me. The lighting–heavy flash going off in naturally-lit or dark indoor environments–put me back in time a bit. The images were reminiscent of the 1990s with their coldly fashionable earth tones: grays, browns, tans, beige.

The ones with captions seemed like they could have had a clearer intent. We have location and the number of inmates, but that’s about it in terms of context. I needed more from the literature if the artists wanted to include it at all. Mere numbers fail us in giving meaning to most things; I need more description of living conditions, maybe a hint at artifacts of the imprisoned life, the possessions they leave behind at the gate, art made by inmates, some little picture of influence they have on their surroundings and the lives of others.

It was interesting that all the photos surrounding correctional facilities were taken from the outside (necessitated by strict no-photo policies, undoubtedly), often not including the buildings at all, but focusing on the surrounding landscape. Most of the others–bail bond shops, police gun shows–were taken from inside. Are we meant to feel a kinship with the law, or just deny ourselves a false connection with the incarcerated? To be outside is both a privilege and a curse: it grants us our continuing freedom while suffocating the possibility of real understanding.

Using such majestic landscapes was a unique artistic choice for me. Many incorporated deeply vibrant colors in the sky and greenery; there was a lot of sunshine and a calming, natural glow to them. Several could have been featured on a ritzy resort’s website. They’ve taken away the images of concrete blocks and barbed wire I would normally associate with prison and replaced them with a richer depiction. “There is beauty here!” they shout. There is no longer the usual isolation of a building from the land on which it sits; instead it becomes a part of something more complete. Exactly what that is, I’m not quite sure. There is no reference to the incarcerated housed within the walls we cannot see from our vantage point, save for a mention of how many there are. Personalization is negligible, nothing more than the city and state printed below the picture. If we are not meant to focus our thought on the prisoners, what else are we supposed to consider? Or is their absence itself the point? Thus the argument is unclear. I will definitely be going to the artist talks coming up, and I suggest you all do the same after perusing the gallery. Steph Foster will give an artist talk on Friday March 27, at 4:45 PM, and Ashley Hunt will give an artist talk on Tuesday March 31, at 4:30 PM.