Yoyo Ma is a world renowned cellist. I personally have never heard anyone play a stringed instrument the way this man does. He is amazing to listen to and apparently just as enthralling to see in person.
Yoyo Ma will be performing with The Silk Road Ensemble at Hill Auditorium Saturday March 16th at 8pm.
More information on Yoyo Ma:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo-Yo_Ma
Information on his Performance:
http://ums.org/performances/yo-yo-ma-and-the-silk-road-ensemble
Beautiful Sounds of Yoyo Ma:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHzfD6XLK7Q
Saturday night, Hill Auditorium was absolutely packed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the auditorium sold out before, but this was just about at peak capacity. And only after I’d finished appraising the crowd, everyone so nicely suited up, did I notice the orchestra was already tuning on stage. It was a smaller section of the orchestra that they used for the first two Mozart pieces, making up the first half of the concert. Regardless, their sound was more than impressive. From the moment the conductor walked on stage, I entirely forgot where I was until it all ended in a final, flourished wave of his arm.
The first piece, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492 was absolutely staggering. Every turn of the music left me wondering, what’s coming next? As I sat their listening, I tried to imagine what I would be doing if I were in a silent film where this was the soundtrack. I imagined me dancing, then the floor gave out and I was falling, then I was laughing and flirting with a dashing gentleman, then he murders me! With every twist and lift of the synchronized first violinists, the attitude of the piece entirely shifted. As every overture should conclude, it was a valiant finish that left everyone squirming in their seats, wanting more.
Mozart’s Symphony No. 36 in C Major, K. 425 was the second piece and even more fantastic than its predecessor. Just as flourished albeit a little more charming and embellished with shadows of passion, this piece too was breathtakingly perfect.
That’s the other thing about the New York Philharmonic – I don’t think you can do it any better! Both their Mozart pieces and the Brahms were absolutely flawless. After the show, I had froyo with a friend of mine who attended the concert with me and I asked her, seeing as she is quite an esteemed musician herself, how do you do it better than that? She replied, simply, you don’t.
The Brahms piece they played was one that took Brahms nearly 11 years to compose. 11 years on the same symphony!? I can’t even imagine. I write short fiction as part of my creative writing major here and that would mean that I would have started a story back when I was nine if I were to write a story in the time it took Brahms to write his first symphony. What?! The piece was, of course, stellar. It said in the program that it was fairly lengthy compared to the average arrangement of the time, however, I swear it felt like I sat in my seat for not 10 minutes when it had actually been two hours for the whole concert. I couldn’t believe it had ended, and I was actually sort of upset I hadn’t seen it coming.
In conclusion to my rave review of the New York Phil, it was just so great. Peter Laki, UMS correspondent, wrote in the program book: “The classics provide us with much-needed emotional stability in these volatile and uncertain times, and we must make sure we bequeath our love of them to those coming after us, just as we inherited it from those who have been here before.” Truly, nothing is better than that.
Saturday, February 23 at 8pm, the New York Philharmonic will be performing in Hill Auditorium! Come check out this prestigious ensemble alongside the UMS Choral Union as they wow the audience with fantastical overtures by both Brahms and Mozart. It is sure to be a stellar performance!
So, where will you be Saturday, February 23 at 8pm?
Hope to see you there 🙂
http://ums.org/performances/new-york-philharmonic <-- more info on the performance!
Wow. I think the overall all consensus after last night’s Mock Rock performance by our beloved student athletes was, “Well, that could have gone a lot better.” Don’t get me wrong, the skits were overall cute and entertaining. Perhaps slightly less so than last year, where highlights included the men’s swim team and the presentation by the football players/cheerleaders; however, nothing was quite up to my expectations. The Lion King-inspired performance was probably the best, I’d say, but other than that, nothing ground-breaking in the field.
Now, the Emcee. Jalen Rose, former UM basketball player and overall an all-star athlete, was just outright embarrassing. What at first seemed like enthusiastic promise turned into awkward and clumsy fumbles that his wit and somewhat clever remarks never worked to make up for. For example, after a really spectacular introduction, written for him on his notes mind you, he forgot he had already introduced the judges, told us that it said “to introduce the judges!”, and proceeded to just do it again by saying “um…Judge #1!” because he forgot the name of our women’s water polo coach and Olympian, Betsey Armstrong. So bad.
Don’t let this review dissuade you from attending next year, however, because Mock Rock really is a great event for the University of Michigan. Not only do we get to hoot and holler for our favorite UM athletes and see them actually less than stellar at something (like dancing and singing), but all proceeds go to Mott’s Children’s Hospital. It’s really a great event and worth your time. Even if only for a laugh.
Mock Rock 2013 was definitely an event to remember, but perhaps not in the way the Mock Rock-ers would have wanted. Better luck next year!
Mock Rock, tonight at 7pm, Hill Auditorium! Come see your favorite athletes as they perform, dance, and strut their stuff on stage to today’s most popular tunes. Tickets are $12 and you CAN buy them at the door. All proceeds go to the Mott’s Children Hospital! Great times, great athletes, GO BLUE!
Hill Auditorium is turning 100 this year! To commemorate this historic event, this Saturday, February 2nd, will be a day full of history, art, and ideas to reflect the massive amounts of creative projects that filter in and around Hill. Specifically, UMS is presenting an original documentary on the founding and design of Hill Auditorium that will be premiered Saturday at 2pm in the very building it honors for this historic event.
Some other events to pay homage to the celebratory occasion include:
12 noon – 2pm: Self-Guided Architecture and History Tours and Lunch (on your own)
*2-3pm UMS on Film Special Event: World Premiere!
3:15-4:15pm: Hill @ 100 – The Past, Present, and Future of the Great Concert Hall
