Apology For a Review I Didn't Write

This article is an apology for a review that I never wrote – gladly.

I have been a music and theater critic for many years, but strangely, I don’t put a lot of stock in what reviewers write. 

Deep down, I know that a reviewer’s comments are those of one person and one person only. And not only that, they are the comments of that one person during one particular moment in time. 

Who knows what the critic felt like that day or what had happened in his/her life that day? Did his dog die?  Did his computer crash erasing years of beloved photos?  We don’t know.

Kick Up Your Heels!!

Even though the Christmas season is not quite upon us, it seems like the festive music season is in full swing.

Tonight (Wednesday, 11/20) begins the splashy and fun opera, Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld” at Fairchild Theater and will have four shows through Sunday.

Also, tonight Dmitri Berlinsky’s Camertone International Chamber Soloists will begin their seven-concert series at the Urban Beat in Old Town. (urbanbeatevents.com).

And between now and thanksgiving, we will have a chance to hear two bands at MSU and the Lansing Symphony Big Band (lansingsymphony.org).

Glick's Pix: Les Miz, Chamber Music & Opera

Cold wintry weather has now engulfed Lansing, but concerts are blooming which allows us to forget about ice and snow.

Tuesday of this week, “Les Misérables”, opened at Wharton Center (whartoncenter.com) for another run.  After “Hamilton” played Wharton in the summer, I heard several folks says, “I still like Les Miz better.  It’s my favorite musical.”

And although it’s dark, has very little humor or dancing, and the costumes are mostly dreary, Les Miz still captures the audience every time.  The music (almost all ballads) is inspiring and emotional and the stage craft is astounding. At this writing, the Wharton run is almost sold out.

Thursday, November 14^th, is the second concert in the Absolute Music Chamber Series, taking place at the Urban Beat in Old Town (absolutemusiclansing.com).  This very popular series features a concert featuring piano quintets by Brahms and Dvorak and a world premiere of a piece for flute and piano quintet with guest artist, flutist Richard Sherman. These concerts often sell out, so if you want to attend call for tickets NOW.

Live and Spectacular

                                             Timothy Muffitt

For any orchestra, tackling the Mahler Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) is a major undertaking.

The 90-minute work is demanding on the conductor for sure, but each musician must remain focused for every minute of the performance.

In all regards, the Lansing Symphony Orchestra’s reading of the Mahler last Saturday night was a brilliant success. The 5-movement work is a stunning reverie that includes many emotions, musical styles, and a huge cast of characters – maybe 250 musicians.

But it all worked. Maestro Timothy Muffitt had a musical vision of the piece and his intense conducting style kept everyone driven towards making this gigantic work all make perfect sense.

LSO Revisits Mahler and the Success of 1982

The year was 1982.  Michigan State University’s Wharton Center had just opened its doors and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra was finally unshackled and released from its previous concert home, the dingy Everett High School auditorium.

Gustav Meier was its music director and conductor and he had to choose what music would his orchestra play for their first big concert on the Cobb Great Hall stage on October 2^nd of that year. 

It had to be big, it had to be splashy, it had to be memorable, and it had to be significant.

Meier wisely chose Symphony No. 2 “The Resurrection” by Mahler, a piece that met all those qualifications.