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.

MOVIE REVIEW: JUDY

Now, get ready for something different for GlickArts. A movie review.

Located at your local multi-plex is a film that has received a lot of buzz, “Judy”.  Staring Renee Zellweger, “Judy” shines a spotlight on the last difficult months of the life of singer Judy Garland.

Many people regard Garland as one of the greatest entertainers of the 20^th century. The world first noticed her as a wide-eyed teenager singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in the 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz”.

Kevin Noe's Finale at MSU

In September 2011, conductor designate of the Michigan State University, Kevin Noe, raised some eyebrows by programming Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” for his first concert with the orchestra.  The Stravinsky is known for its difficulty and for possibly being the greatest classical orchestral work of the 20^th century.

Recently it was announced that Noe will be leaving MSU and is taking a visiting professor role at the University of Missouri Kansas City.  Friday (October 25) will be his final concert with the MSU orchestra and he is programming – wait for it – “The Rite of Spring”. The perfect set of bookends. (Wharton Center, 8PM, www.music.msu.edu)

A Family's Difficult Decision

Kristine Thatcher is an icon in the Lansing theater community.  We’ve watched her grow from a local ingénue, to a mature actress and theater professional.

So, it is fitting that the Michigan premier of her autobiographical play, “The Safe House” should take place at the newly refurbished Williamston Theatre.

It’s a play that touches the hearts of many people because of the sincere, honest and straightforward way it tackles the difficult issues of families dealing with grandparents with diminishing functions.

Muffitt's Classics

Composer-In-Residence Patrick Harlin

LSO Music Director Timothy Muffitt again showed off his great programming prowess last Friday night. 

He began with an overture and symphony by the classic classicist, Mozart.  Then he built a variation on that classical theme:  The maestro chose music by 20^th century Russian composer Prokofiev who wrote a classical symphony for his final assignment in college.

Then he inserted a new work by the LSO’s new composer-in-residence, Patrick Harlin and ended the evening with a suite by 20^th century icon Stravinsky, that was inspired by 18^th century composer, Pergolesi. 

It was a brilliant and inspired program, and the Stravinsky performance was the whipped cream on this sundae of a concert.

Smooth Feinstein Meets Brassy Rocker

We all remember Michael Feinstein.  He’s the tuxedo-clad charming cabaret guy whose stock and trade is the Great American Songbook. 

He sings the songs in a sweet whisper and tells us everything there is to know about Berlin, Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and all the other great song writers of he 30s and 40s.

But can you make a career of that limited menu over a span of 30+years? Feinstein can. He is constantly evolving from his beginnings, and as an example he is coming to Wharton Center on Saturday for the fourth time with a new Vegas style show with edgy rock singer, Storm Large (yes, it’s her real name – almost). The show is called “Shaken and Stirred”. 

Astounding Audra!

On the occasion of their 90^th anniversary, the Lansing Symphony Orchestra gave their audience a gift last Saturday night. The gift was singer and actor extraordinaire, Audra McDonald.

It was a festive evening, with the orchestra pretty much selling out the 2500-seat Wharton Center.

Maestro Timothy Muffitt chose two fine works to begin the program: the sparkling “Candide Overture” by Bernstein, and a rollicking new work by Bruce Stark, “Symphonic Dances”. These two pieces did the trick in terms of being energetic, melodic and full of life.  The orchestra had a bit of trouble with the breakneck tempo that Muffitt used with “Candide”, but it all worked out perfectly.