Arts Writers: Let's Do Play-by-Plays

It’s no surprise that newspapers throughout the US are drastically cutting arts coverage of any kind.  Even though audience numbers are up, reviews of concerts and plays are sparse and feature stories are rarer still.

Being a long time arts writer, I have been thinking how to combat this trend, and I think I’ve found the answer.

I have noticed that as the arts coverage is disappearing, the sports articles continue to expand.  Instead of being a “sports page” it is now a “sports section” - sometimes two - covering high school, college and pro sports in excruciating detail.  Pages and pages are filled with analyses, graphs, standings, and features. Why can’t the arts do that?

Instead of blaming the sports writers for gobbling up all of the available white space in local papers, I think that arts writers should learn from the sports writing colleagues.  We should be more like them and take their lead. 

Absolutely Right

                                   Photo: Jim Zacks

Flutist Richard Sherman has found the secret recipe for improving the concert experience for modern classical music lovers. Begin with alcohol, add a dab of discussion, chose the best musicians available, avoid stuffiness and throw in a dollop of education.

Sherman’s Absolute Music Chamber Series started out giving small chamber concerts in the Absolute Art Gallery in Lansing’s Old Town. He wanted to re-create the audience friendly environment that he’s been enjoying at the Chautauqua Institution during the summers in New York State for the last 25 years.

In the beginning, in 2009, the setting was charming, but the acoustics were not perfect and the setting was cramped.

A few years later they retained the Absolute name but changed location and moved a block down the street.  They now perform at the Urban Beat Event Center – a hip looking place with exposed old brick walls, a small bar and tons of character.

French Program with Clarinet Soloist Highlights LSO

If you’ve been frustrated by not hearing a Lansing Symphony concert in the past couple of months, you can thank “Aladdin” for taking up residency at Wharton Center for four weeks.

In any case, they’ll be back on Saturday, January 18^th for a fascinating program of French music.

To a large degree, that program was put together to take advantage of Guy Yehuda, the brilliant principal clarinetist with the LSO playing the virtuosic clarinet concerto by French composer Jean Francaix. It’s always a joy to hear talented soloists from within the ranks of the orchestra.

Two Concerts: Biss plays Beethoven

Jonathan Biss began his lifelong love affair with Beethoven at age eleven.  The 39-year-old international piano star shared a memory on our phone interview, “I heard a recording with Rudolf Serkin playing the Beethoven “Appassionata” (No. 23) piano sonata and that was it for me",  he said in a phone interview,

“First, Serkin and Beethoven were such a match.  In the performance you felt the sheer force of Beethoven’s personality in his music.  It was like a tidal wave.  And Serkin had such an intensity in his playing – such a need to communicate.”

Two years later, the 13-year-old Biss soloed with the Indianapolis Symphony. And his career hasn’t stopped surging.

"Aladdin" - The Wow Factor

People don't go to Disney musicals for nuanced character development or sophisticated music.  They go for the production value and for the spectacle.  They go to be WOWED.

Well, with Wharton’s latest Broadway touring production of “Aladdin”, be prepared to be wowed.  

It took 30 semi-trucks and two weeks of labor to load this monster show into Wharton - and it’s worth it.  From the very beginning, the Great Hall stage is filled with color, spangles and even mini explosions. And the stage is surrounded by extra lights, speakers, and projectors.

Aral Gribble, The Dramatic Actor

The set-up for “A Christmas Carol: The Radio Show” is a tantalizing idea for a rip-roaring comedy but might lead us down the wrong path.

The latest Williamston Theatre production, which plays through December 22^nd, stars a Lansing theater favorite, Aral Gribble in the one-man show.

The premise for the story is simple enough – a local radio show has an annual tradition of presenting Dickens’ beloved “A Christmas Carol” live, using a full cast and in-house band.  The problem is there is a huge storm outside and the only person able to get to the studio is Bob Bennett (Gribble), the sound effects guy. 

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.