LSO - Classics with a Twist

 

Lansing Symphony’s Music Director, Timothy Muffitt, has a knack for programming a concert that is interesting, unpredictable but always a pleasure to listen to.

Saturday’s (March 19, 2022) performance was a perfect example. It opened not with an overture or a cute ditty, but with an 11-piece wind, harpsichord and percussion ensemble standing in a semicircle, to play the beguiling Suite Francaise by Poulenc.

It was a bold and refreshing programming choice.  The ensemble played this charming and humorous neo-classical work beautifully. The seven movements gave the listener a broad variety of musical styles to enjoy.  The musicians performed with a lovely blend.

The Philadelphia, 2 Maestros and Tuba Shine

 

The storied relationship between the Philadelphia Orchestra and the University Music Society (UMS) in Ann Arbor goes back to 1913 when they first appeared there under the baton of Leopold Stokowski.  The orchestra’s triumphant return to Ann Abor last weekend (March 11-12, 2022) marked their 269^th and 270^th performance at Hill Auditorium.

The orchestra’s residency at UMS this year had many reasons to attract a big audience. The first of the two concerts was helmed by conducting phenom and Philadelphia’s music director Yannick Nezet-Sequin, the orchestra’s principal guest conductor, Nathalie Stutzmann who is also a rising star, conducted the second concert, and the featured soloist was the brilliant tubist Carol Jantsch, who happens to be an alum of the University of Michigan, playing a new work by Wynton Marsalis.

Because of this stellar line up, Hill Auditorium which seats 3300 was nearly full at both concerts, despite COVID fears.

MAGIC OF JAZZ, THE MARSALIS WAY

Printed in Lansing State Journal 2/20/2020

Branford Marsalis doesn’t like music categories, like jazz, classical, R&B, show music, hip hop, rock, movie music, etc. He plays it all. Marsalis prefers to call himself, simply, a musician. And most of the music world agrees.

Joe Lulloff, professor of saxophone at Michigan State University, who has collaborated with Marsalis many times says, “Branford is a complete musician.  He’s a renaissance musician.”

Marsalis and his Branford Marsalis Quartet are appearing at Wharton Center on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Coincidentally his famous (and younger) brother Wynton will be in Ann Arbor on March 11^th with the Philadelphia Orchestra for the premiere of his Tuba Concerto he just completed. It appears that both of these great musicians have something in common – they are not only world class jazz musicians (Wynton on trumpet, Brandon on saxophone) but are also involved in composing, teaching, arranging and performing of music in all styles.

Williamston Brings Iconic Play by Okemos-raised Playwright

 

Attending Okemos High School in the 80s, award-winning playwright Heather Raffo enveloped herself in the arts. She was the lead in several plays, was a violinist in the orchestra and sang in the choir. Raffo remembers, “It was hugely exciting. I was born to be an artist but was always looking for an outlet. Okemos formed me as a bridge builder.”

Her acclaimed play “9 Parts of Desire” will be playing at Williamston Theatre Jan. 27 – Feb. 27.

“Growing up in Okemos was so important for me. Although my father was an Iraqi, I am white, Catholic, and blond and I felt that I was passing. It made it possible to build a bridge between communities. It’s the foundation for how I started my work [as an actress and playwright]. I’m like a translator.”

From OHS, Raffo received her undergraduate at University of Michigan. “My father didn’t want me to be a theater major, so I majored in English literature and took all the acting classes I could.”

After Michigan, she went on to University of San Diego for her Master of Fine Arts, and went to England to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

“When in England, I traveled through Europe and the Middle East, and ended up in Baghdad.”

FROZEN - Theater Magic

 

When a show like “Disney’s Frozen” comes to town, it’s a true theatrical event for the entire region.  Not every theater is large enough to house this musical that takes 23 semi-trailers to move it from place to place.

Ever since “Frozen” the movie hit the screens back in 2013, it became a part of our culture.  “Let it Go” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” were songs that every kid in the neighborhood was singing.

It took a while for Disney to transform the beloved show from a movie to a stage play, but in 2018 it finally stormed Broadway and never left. Now there are productions in the UK, Australia, Japan, Germany and the North American Tour.

Currently it is playing at Michigan State University’s Wharton Center until February 6. 2022 (whartoncenter.com).

From beginning to end, “Frozen” is a first class, Broadway caliber, production. No pickup orchestra here, “Frozen” travels with its own musicians and enough sparkles and snow to fill the entire theater.

Many Disney shows play well for audiences of all ages. After all, “Lion King” is the highest grossing Broadway musical ever ($8.2 bil in sales). “Frozen” plays best for girls ages 5-15, I’m guessing, but many boys were enjoying it as well.

West Side Story: A Magnificent Surprise

 

To do a remake of the beloved Oscar winning 1961 film West Side Story (original Broadway production was in1957) takes guts. Maybe only a director with the standing of Steven Spielberg could get a way with tackling such a risky project.

Many of my friends who fervently love the original film have pledged not to see the remake.  How can you improve on a classic? Despite the negative talk, Spielberg has been dedicated to this idea for many years.

The film was shot in New York in the summer of 2019 but was just released on December 10, 2021. It’s the perfect movie to bring you back into a movie theater.

Let me begin by saying that I rank West Side Story as one of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time. I have great respect and love for this piece of theater. Transferring it to yet another film is a delicate process.

SONDHEIM: Irony of Ironies

 

The theatrical world was shocked by Stephen Sondheim’s death on November 26, and immediately the media was awash in a tsunami of praise and tributes. Professionals and fans from all walks of life described Sondheim as the greatest writer of Broadway musicals, ever.

Although Sondheim was 91, his passing was still a surprise.  Up until the very end, Sondheim was seen attending theater, working on the revival of his landmark show Company and appearing on TV. He seemed vigorous and sharp.

Ever since first hearing the soundtrack album of Company in 1970, I have been a fan. I found the new show so current, so hip, so real, and so witty. Like nothing I had ever heard before. Indeed, it has been said that Company revolutionized musical theater. It was nominated for the most Tony awards of any musical (14 nominations, 6 wins), a record that held until The Producers (2001)

It was so different, that I didn’t even realize that Company was written by the same guy who penned the lyrics for Gypsy and West Side Story, let alone Funny Thing Happened on The Way to The Forum, his only hit before Company in which he wrote both music and lyrics.

HADESTOWN - A Funky and Brilliant Opening to the B'way Season

 At long last, East Lansing’s Wharton Center’s Broadway series finally opened on Tuesday night. Everyone in attendance was eagerly looking around to see how big the house was, understanding that Michigan’s Covid numbers are stubbornly high. Well, it looks like folks have a great need to have their spirits lifted with singing and dancing and good stories.

“Hadestown,” the Tony award winning spectacle, filled about 1100 seats (out of 2500) at the Cobb Great Hall – about normal for Covid times.

Although many people didn’t know what to expect from this oddly named musical, the 13-member cast dispelled all apprehensions at the very beginning. They entered the stage as a group, smiling and waving to the audience enthusiastically. And the audience smiled and laughed back. I saw the 4^th wall crumbling.

INTERLOCHEN - Great changes, Great Traditions

 

The 1200-acre land mass that is the campus of Interlochen – the Arts Camp during the summer and Arts Academy boarding school during the academic year – is an architect’s dream. Two idyllic lakes sit on either side of the densely wooded property dotted with small 80-year-old stone and wooden practice huts and various performance and academic buildings. Interlochen is located just south of Traverse City, Michigan.

30 years ago, the international architectural and planning firm, Sasaki Associates, was engaged to create a campus master plan. Interlochen saw a great need to offer world class teaching and living facilities to serve arts students in the 21^st century. Also, it had to re-build classic buildings which have become dangerously out of date.

After Months of Covid Darkness, Performers are Expressing Themselves Once Again

 

For many folks, the Covid pandemic lockdown did not make a big difference to their daily work life. Given the technology now available, working on computers in the family room allowed them to do most of the tasks required of them back in their offices. Some even preferred the “new normal” of going to work, dressed in jammies with a dog at their feet.

But that’s not the case for performing musicians. Working remotely is not an option for a concert soloist. 

The pandemic denied these artists more than not being able to do their job. It limited the very essence of how they communicate emotions and feelings to others.

VAIL! Mountains and Music: Perfect

 

When I was planning a trip to the mountains of Colorado with my son, my one request was that we choose a place that had live music available to us in the evening.  I was aware that Aspen has a famous music and arts school with many concerts but I didn’t know about Vail. 

To my surprise this ski resort, an hour southwest of Denver, is the home of Bravo!Vail a full throated music festival with a full array of concerts, and events. During the month of July, the festival played host to four major orchestras, one week for each ensemble. The lineup was Academy of St. Martin in Fields with Joshua Bell, the Dallas Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.

I was there for the NY Phil’s week which made me feel I had hit the mother lode.  I found the experience to be nearly perfect: hiking through the stunning 8-10,000 ft. mountains during the day (no humidity, no mosquitoes), and listening to a world class orchestra in the evening.