Music – Page 14 – [art]seen

REVIEW: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

February 23, 2015February 23, 2015 simoka

What most interested me about seeing this performance was first of all the fact that this orchestra was from abroad, and that they would come all the way to Ann Arbor to perform. I have experienced orchestral and piano performances abroad as well and found that a lot of the charm of the event is in how it is presented and the social ritual attached to seeing a concert and how it varies in different parts of the world.

The first piece the Rotterdam Philharmonic performed was Maurice Ravel’s Suite from ‘Ma Mere l’Oye’ (Mother Goose). I had never encountered the piece previous to that night and I found myself surprised by the modernity of it. Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a French composer who was prominent during the early part of the twentieth century. Listening to this I was reminded of a time in elementary school when I was taught the different instruments and sections in the orchestra, and how each instrument was often used in plays or ballets to represent animals. I found this sentiment to be delightfully expressed in this piece by Ravel. He plays with the tempo and dynamic of the woodwinds such that they invoke images of fluttering birds or scurrying animals. This, in combination with the strings, brings a very full and vibrant environment to life and I think Ravel is very successful in this. As I have not seen this piece performed elsewhere, I find it hard to make comparisons or critiques of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance to others. I think that this piece was at least, in relation to the other pieces that the orchestra performed, the most successful and seemed like the most enjoyable to play.

Another aspect of this event that I enjoyed was the concert pianist, Hélène Grimaud. I studied the very basics of piano growing up, so watching her play and her fingers effortlessly and accurately play was quite enchanting for me personally. The way that the conductor and pianist take the center of the orchestra and both share in a leading role in directing the orchestra is an entrancing scene. The only point of critique for me was the way the pianist played was very humble and sometimes it felt like the orchestra overshadowed her presence in the some of the pieces played of Tchaikovsky. Besides that, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and all of the new sensory experiences it brought to life.

The highlight of this evening was the Ravel pieces for me. Besides the Suite, the orchestra also performed a piano Concerto in G Major. It was easy to distinguish the story-like performance of the Suite from the concerto. I found the concerto to be excellent because of it’s experimentalist and innovate style. The tone was very reminiscent of jazz and that whole era and the culture of the time, it did not surprise me to discover afterwards that Ravel was heavily inspired by the rise of jazz during this time. I did find it surprising how the concerto was able to inspire that style while also maintaining some more classical orchestral moments in it as well. It thought it was a highly stylized piece with that always seemed to be dancing and changing and never losing interest with itself, and that was what I think kept me as well as much of the audience engrossed in the piece.

Overall, I found the experience to be a fall into a space of beauty and of listening. As a student, it was a welcome exclusion of words in favor of sounds. As an event to appreciate music, I found myself surprised and grateful to have experienced the sounds of an orchestra from so far away performing pieces of the not so distant past, but which do not occur as often as I think they should in the repertoire of contemporary music exposure.

REVIEW: Knox Hamilton at the Blind Pig

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015 Phillip Wachowiak

What do you get when you bring a band from Little Rock to the Blind Pig on a Tuesday night? Catchy music and a great excuse to avoid the week’s workload.

Knox Hamilton is rare in two cases: not only are they a three man alternative rock band with a full sound, they also toured on the strength of a single song “Work it Out.” That is correct, you can only listen to and/or buy one of their songs.

For some bands, you might shrug and move on to the next Taylor Swift single, but Knox is one of the best bands I’ve seen at the Blind Pig. Not only did they joke around with the confidence of a more mature band, but their music was downright full of energy. Their EP should be dropping sometime in March and this is one collection of music I highly recommend purchasing.

Under the trippy blue-red glow of the Blind Pig’s lights, we stood for a little less than an hour as the band played through its entire set. It was disappointing because their sound was infectious, and even better, there was only 1 filler song for the entire hour.

Knox Hamilton said they would return to Ann Arbor in the future and I fully recommend seeing them in concert.

Even better, they are active Twitter users: @KnoxHamilton

REVIEW: Collage Concert

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 Tsukumo

Now in its 38th time, Collage Concert by the School of Music, Theater, and Dance on January 17, 2015 put together another incredible show featuring many departments within SMTD. This unique performance, in which one act followed another without pauses, showed how interconnected different disciplines of art can be.

On a performance style like that of Collage, where works from old and new come together to create one performance experience, Maestro Gustav Meier (former professor at Eastman School of Music and U-M School of Music) states:

“…[A] quartet called the Five Century Ensemble, a soprano, a tenor, cello, and harpsichord, … performed music from every period with the last note of each work overlapping the first note of the next composition. … We were all just stunned. It never occurred to me that such a programming technique could happen. What a contrast — old music, new music — so close together.” (Quoted from The Instrumentalist, February 1980)

At the University of Michigan that night, in our own Hill Auditorium, we created a gigantic Five Century Ensemble — or rather, Five Century and Disciplines Ensemble. We are lucky to be at a school where many departments are top-notch in their fields, and the School of Music, Theater, and Dance is no exception. However different the appearances may be, all performances were tied to the core of artistry.

This kind of performance requires a lot of careful planning, both logistically and artistically. First of all, there are hundreds of performers in Collage, who are all students with different, busy lives. Organizers have to connect with all of them to make sure they are at the right place at the right time. In addition to this, the lighting cues can be complex, and stage setups can require special knowledge. I wonder if the logistics coordinators for this performance got to sleep at all in the past few days with all of this in mind. All of these were executed perfectly, at least to my knowledge.

Artistically, the directors put together a program that just flows. There is no worry about the quality of the performances, as the individual acts are very strong. However, the program — which included various types of music, skits, and dance works — somehow needs to make sense without any gaps for applauses and reset. With that said, the performace order was truly stunning, especially in the first half. My most favorite was a reading and stunt of Shakespeare’s “Henry V” by Ian Johnson and Ben Reitemeier, going into Gandolfi’s Flourishes and Meditations on a Renaissance Theme, played by the Symphony Band. The music seemed to compliment the Shakespeare play so perfectly. Many other surprising yet understandable combinations happened throughout the two-hour show.

I have been on two sides of the Collage: performer and audience. I performed in the Collage last year as a Symphony Band member, and it was such a wonderful experience. Now, I am happy to see the performance from the other side, sharing the surprises with the general public. It excites me that I share practice rooms with these students, and I can only imagine how great they will become in the future in their arts. (And perhaps me too — hopefully?)

PREVIEW: Collage Concert

January 14, 2015January 14, 2015 Tsukumo

Collage Concert is an eclectic collection of performances representing all departments of the School of Music, Theater, and Dance. Unlike in other performances, all the acts in the Collage Concert are presented without pauses. Solo organ, dance pieces, jazz combo, theater company, choir… You name it, they’ll have it. If you are thinking of attending just one performance by SMTD this year, this is the one — it’s a night of virtuosic performances that would never fail to amaze you.

WHEN: Saturday, January 17 at 8pm

WHERE: Hill Auditorium

TICKETS: $10 with student ID; available online or in person at the League Ticket Office

PREVIEW: eighth blackbird

January 9, 2015January 9, 2015 camsterdam

What do you get when you combine a classical chamber music ensemble with the energetic verve of a rock band and a sprinkling of theatrical spunk? The enthusiastic, thought-provoking, and genre-bending genius of eighth blackbird, a Chicago-based ensemble of clarinet, cello, violin, percussion, flute, and piano! “The blackbirds are examples of a new breed of super-musicians. They perform the bulk of their new music from memory. They have no need for a conductor, no matter how complex the rhythms or balances… [They are] stage animals, often in motion, enacting their scores as they play them.” (Los Angeles Times). As part of the fantastic UMS series this winter, eighth blackbird is sure to blow us away. They even will feature two works by composers who made their mark with bands such as The National and Arcade Fire!

What: eighth blackbird

Where: Rackham Auditorium

When: Saturday, January 17 at 8:00 pm

How Much?: Student Half-Price Tickets are $21.00. Recommended to buy tickets ahead at the UMS Ticket Office in the Michigan League.

And while you wait for the show to begin, familiarize yourself with eighth blackbird on YouTube!

Still Life with Avalanche

Philip Glass & eighth blackbird

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.