Tag: mozart

REVIEW: Michigan Pops Orchestra Concert “Tick Tock, It’s Pops O’Clock”

Ella Larsen Leave a comment

7:00pm • Saturday, December 3, 2022 • Michigan Theater

This was my first experience as an audience-member for the Michigan Pops Orchestra. While I knew beforehand their reputation for wacky, fun performances, I was still surprised and delighted by the personality the musicians brought into their work. Not only did they play with excellence, but musicians were featured in short skits introducing the music, as well as in videos made to accompany the program. I’ve never been to an orchestra performance with so many musician-specific fan bases–Anthony Medei, co-tech director and viola player, seemed particularly popular in his comedic features as Milly Bagic, Doc Brown, and the evening’s gameshow host.

The orchestra took several opportunities during the evening to wish farewell to its current executive director, Katie Sesi, a graduating senior. One of my favorite moments during the performance was during the final few measures of Amilcare Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours.” As she played, a little anticipatory smile appeared on Sesi’s face that widened into a full grin as the orchestra struck the final note of the song, a moment which I felt sweetly captured the dedication and love Pops musicians feel for the organization.

One of the pieces I heard Michigan Pops would interpret on Saturday night, and which impelled me to buy tickets, was “Time Warp” from Rocky Horror Picture Show. I am a big RHPS fan, and I was curious about how a glam rock piece could be arranged for orchestra. Coincidentally, during the performance a story was shared about how the executive board had to scour the internet for an orchestra score of the piece, finally locating one used by an obscure orchestra in Germany. Ultimately, although the musicians did an admirable job of bringing the piece to fruition, my final opinion is that orchestra-Time-Warp might have been better left in Germany. Rocky Horror ≠ orchestra music.

Overall, however, I immensely enjoyed the mix of songs chosen by the orchestra, which in another context might seem eclectic, but which was roped together by the theme of “Time” encapsulated in the performance. True to its role as a “Pops” orchestra, the songs were almost all familiar to me. I liked how the program illustrated the versatility of orchestra as a medium, which throughout the evening alternately took center-stage in pieces like Beethoven’s Fifth and shifted gracefully into the background as, for example, a screen showed a student-created speed-run of Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban. Additionally, I appreciated how many of the songs Pops performs are famous enough that everyone might have heard of them, but not everyone gets the chance to experience them live in concert. Michigan Pops offers an accessible opportunity for audiences to experience iconic music live and an entry point for everyone to get interested in orchestra.

REVIEW: Berliner Philharmoniker (Friday Program)

sophiascribbles Leave a comment

One thing my childhood piano teacher of twelve years always told me was that a good performance made you feel taken care of. If you feel nervous on stage, so does your audience. If you are comfortable, the natural rise and fall of the music emerges and your listeners can comfortably breathe along each phrase. 

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of seeing the Berlin Philharmonic play at the Hill Auditorium. Pen and notebook in hand, I was reminded of my teacher’s words when the pages stubbornly remained relatively blank. When faced with the golden standard of the orchestral world, I suddenly found it very difficult to come up with any constructive comments. For the concert’s two-hour duration spanning raucous 21st-century sounds to Mozart’s pristine motifs, all I could do was sit back and think: this is so nice.

As the orchestra members made their way to their seats, I was surprised to see the second violins and cellos settle down in each other’s usual sections, with the basses gathered on the left side of the stage behind the cellos. While this seating arrangement made sense for the Mozart concerto later in the program, it was interesting to hear it used for Unstuck, a recent composition by Michigan native Andrew Norman. It is difficult to describe what happens in the piece–eerie, yet beautiful melodies are sandwiched between messy, frantic climaxes. Blurry tutti slides carry the listener from one idea to the next to the point where you forget where the piece even started. I rarely get a good view of the basses when I watch concerts, but this time around I was able to observe how they were constantly employed to add subtle, textural elements–slaps, snaps, dry scrubbing–to the ensemble.

Next up was the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major performed by concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley. I don’t typically listen to Mozart over other composers, but Bendix-Balgley’s interpretation felt like a return to the fundamentals and allowed me to appreciate his music. His solo part was impeccably clean and sweet with a bell-like quality. The hardest part of playing Mozart is to make it sound effortless–both the ensemble and soloist mastered this element. The candenzas, written by Bendix-Balgley himself, were complex and brilliant.

Concluding the concert was the Korngold Symphony in F-Sharp Major. There is a lot of discourse surrounding Korngold and his validity as a serious composer due to his career writing music for films–an argument I find silly. The cinematic lushness and bold tuttis give the piece a distinct mood, while the free-spirited clarinet solo at the beginning of the first movement introduces an engaging story of conflict and resolution throughout the work. 

Part of the reason why the Berlin Phil is able to produce such a distinct sound is the combination of intense coordination and soloistic playing. By matching the exact speed and positions of each bow, the strings are able to meld together and mask any sense of bowings. I can only hope that everyone could have the chance to hear them perform live because it is truly a magnificent experience.

REVIEW: Joshua Bell & Sam Haywood

Laura Dzubay Leave a comment

A strange image came to me on Saturday night, while I was watching Joshua Bell walk out across the stage of Hill Auditorium for the first time. The vast auditorium was packed with people — some college-age, many adults — and a sweeping wave of applause rolled across the many rows and balconies at the sight of him coming out. I had been to Hill Auditorium once before, to see the Avett Brothers my freshman year. For some reason, the thought occurred to me of how different it was, watching Joshua Bell walk onto the stage versus watching the Avett Brothers — or any musical group in the popular sphere with a large following — do the same thing. There were no whoops or hollers or screams of, “I love you, Joshua!” He walked slowly and professionally, violin in hand. The thought struck me out of nowhere and seemed like a funny one.

Yet in the world of classical music, Joshua Bell is the equivalent of a rock star. He’s been one of the most famous violinists in the world for years, and has played at numerous enviable venues around the globe. So while they weren’t leaping out of their seats or holding up signs with his name on them, the audience members did burst collectively into a roaring applause when they saw him.

And he didn’t disappoint. The first item on the program was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Violin Sonata No. 32 in B-flat Major, K. 454,” which starts out very calmly. I was surprised at the soft, understated nature of the performance, but the piece soon picked up in excitement and speed. And no matter what the mood, Bell and Sam Haywood, renowned pianist and Bell’s fellow performer, were able to handle it with deftness and grace. The violin sonata was at turns playful and dreamy, energetic and tender. It was splendidly interesting to watch as Bell and Haywood appeared to trade phrases of the piece off between the two of them; one moment Bell’s playing would be more pronounced, with Haywood’s piano muted softly in the background, and the next, it would be the other way around.

This pattern continued throughout the rest of the concert. The next piece they played was Richard Strauss’s “Violin Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 18,” which they approached with the same level of attentiveness, care, and passion. Bell moved around the stage a great deal, seeming to feel the music physically during particularly enlivened moments. Bell and Haywood, who have played together on many occasions during the past, continued to blend their respective sounds together seamlessly, responding to one another in volume and time as if they were having a genuine conversation through their music.

The third piece on the program, and the final listed prior to the concert, was Franz Schubert’s “Fantasie for Violin and Piano in C Major, D. 934.” This piece showcased the same skill and emotion, and it was an added pleasure when, following an encore, Bell announced two additional pieces from the stage. Much like a rock star, he closed out the night with encores and wild applause. When all was said and done, the auditorium was as alive with excitement as it had been waiting for him to come out for the first time a couple of hours earlier. He might not play rock music particularly, but the man is unquestionably a star.