UMS Concert Program, Thursday Jan. 10 To 20: University Musical Society: 2002 Winter - Thursday Jan. 10 To 20 --

Season: 2002 Winter
The University Of Michigan

University Musical Society
of the University of Michigan 2002 Winter Season
Event Program Book Thursday, January 10 through Sunday, January 20, 2002
General Information
Children of all ages are welcome at UMS Family and Youth Performances. Parents are encouraged not to bring children under the age of three to regular, full-length UMS performances. All children should be able to sit quietly in their own seats throughout any UMS perfor?mance. Children unable to do so, along with the adult accompanying them, will be asked by an usher to leave the auditorium. Please use discretion in choosing to bring a child.
Remember, everyone must have a ticket, regardless of age.
While in the Auditorium
Starting Time Every attempt is made to begin concerts on time. Latecomers are asked to wait in the lobby until seated by ushers at a predetermined time in the program.
Cameras and recording equipment are
prohibited in the auditorium.
If you have a question, ask your usher. They are here to help.
Please take this opportunity to exit the "information superhighway" while you are enjoying a UMS event: electronic-beeping or chiming digital watches, beeping pagers, ringing cellular phones and clicking portable comput?ers should be turned off during perfor?mances. In case of emergency, advise your paging service of auditorium and seat location and ask them to call University Security at 734.763.1131.
In the interests of saving both dollars and the environment, please retain this program book and return with it when you attend other UMS performances included in this edition. Thank you for your help.
Stephan Genz 5
Thursday, January 10, 8:00pm Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
Rennie Harris Puremovement Rome & Jewels
Friday, January 11, 8:00pm 15
Saturday, January 12, 8:00pm 27
Power Center
Brentano String Quartet and 29
Mark Strand
Sunday, January 13,4:00pm Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
Michigan Chamber Players 37
Sunday, January 20, 4:00pm Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
Dear UMS Patrons,
First of all, thank you for coming to this performance, and thank you for support?ing UMS by your purchase of tickets. It's good to have you with us.
UMS is proud to be affiliated with the University of Michigan. I use the word 'affiliat?ed' purposefully because UMS is, in fact, an independent, non-profit, tax-exempt organization with its own Board of Directors. While it now has more than 100 partners throughout the community, UMS' oldest and most significant partner is the U-M, dating back to UMS' founding in 1879 when town and gown came together to form the Choral Union. One year later, UMS created the University School of Music and oversaw its operations until 1940 when UMS passed stewardship of the School to U-M.
This past fall, U-M and UMS reaffirmed the importance of their relationship in an agreement signed by the President of U-M and the President of UMS. With the transformation of UMS over the past decade from an organization focused primarily on classical music presentation to an organization committed to education, creation, and presentation involving the widest range of diverse cultural expressions, the UMS mission has become uniquely aligned with the University's mission of teaching, research, and service.
The agreement affirms UMS' "independent but affiliated" status; encourages continued development of collaborative programs with an even wider range of U-M units; cre?ates a new committee involving a diversity of representatives from UMS, U-M, and the regional community to explore prospective partnerships; and affirms the princi?ple of "project support" by U-M for UMS education, commissioning, and presenting projects that significantly add value to the academic and cultural life of the campus. Interim U-M President Joe White strongly supports the agreement. Joe and his wife Mary have been regular attendees and generous supporters of UMS for many years, and we welcome them into their new roles. As UMS approaches its 125th season two years hence, we salute our very special partner, the University of Michigan.
I'm always eager to hear from our patrons. If there's anything you'd like to share with me about your experiences with UMS, no matter what it is, look for me in the lobby and let's chat. If you don't see me there, please drop me a note, give me a call (734.647.1174), or send me an e-mail message at kenfisch@umich.edu.
Best wishes,
Kenneth C. Fischer President, UMS
UMS Education
vents
UMS Educational Events through Sunday, January 20,2002
All UMS educational activities are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted ($). Please visit www.ums.org for complete details and updates.
Rennie Harris Puremovement
Hip-Hop History Presentation and Master of Arts Interview
Moderated by Glenda Dickerson, U-M Professor of Theatre and Drama, company members of Rennie Harris Puremovement discuss the history of hip-hop and present an introduction to personalities who influenced or invented various techniques of hip-hop dance. Investigates the roots of hip-hop throughout African and Latino traditions and cultures within the Diaspora. Friday, January 11, 2:00 p.m. Trueblood Theater, Frieze Building.
Post-Performance Dance Party
Immediately following Friday evening's performance of Rome & Jewels., there will be a dance party with the company mem?bers, featuring the DJs of Rennie Harris Puremovement. Friday, January 11, 10:00p.m. Michigan League Underground.
Brentano String Quartet and Mark Strand
Study Club 1
Poet Mark Strand was commis?sioned to write new poetry to be recited between movements of Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ. Richard Tillinghast,
U-M Professor of English, Ralph Williams, U-M Professor of English, and Naomi Andre, Assistant Professor, U-M School of Music, will lead a dis?cussion on Strand's new and existing poetry and will take a closer look at the meaning and symbolism of Christ's last words. Tuesday, January 8, 7:00 p.m. Michigan League, Vandenberg Room.
Master of Arts Interview with Mark Strand
Led by Linda Gregerson, U-M Professor of English Language and Literature. Sunday, January 13, 3:00 p.m. Michigan League, Vandenberg Room.
Meet the Artists
Post-performance discussion from the stage with Mark Strand and the Brentano String Quartet. Sunday, January 13. Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre.
Masterclass
Masterclass with the Brentano
String Quartet and U-M String
Students.
Monday, January 14,2:30-4:30 p.m.
Cady Room, Stearns Building,
U-M School of Musk.
Other Events of Interest
Kennedy Center Workshop
Exploring the Cultures of Uganda Through Dance A native of Uganda, Namu Lwanga shares the cultures of her homeland, demonstrating how traditional dance commu?nicates and reflects everyday life experiences. Participants learn a community dance, a marriage dance, and a contemporary popular dance and explore how the dances communicate infor?mation about Ugandan cultures. Monday, January 14, 4:30-7:30 p.m. Washtenaw Intermediate School District, 1819 S. Wagner Road, Ann Arbor. Tuesday, January 15, 4:30-7:30 p.m. Marygrove College Dance Department, Detroit. ($)
Workshop
This Far by Faith: A Celebration of Detroit's Gospel Music Heritage A day of interactive workshops with local and national presen?ters designed to provide tools to enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of several forms of Black sacred music. Saturday, January 19, 9:30 a.m.-4:30p.m. Second Ebenezer Baptist Church, 2760 E. Grand Boulevard at 1-75, Detroit. ($)
Workshop
History of the American Art Song Lecture 4: "The Second Half of the Twentieth Century," led by Richard LeSueur. Sunday, January 20, 3:00 p.m. Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave.
UMS
presents
Stephan Genz
Baritone
Roger Vignoles, Piano
I
An die Feme Geliebte, Op. 98, Nos. 1-6 To the distant beloved Ludwig van Beethoven (Aloys Jeitteles)
Auf dem Hiigel sitz' ich
Auf dem Hiigel sitz' ich, spahend in das blaue Nebelland, nach den fernen Triften sehend, wo ich dich, Geliebte, fand.
Weit bin ich von dir geschieden, trennend liegen Berg und Tal zwischen uns und unserm Frieden, unserm Gliick und unsrer Qual.
Ach, den Blick kannst du nicht sehen, der zu dir so gliihend eilt, und die Seufzer, sie verwehen in dem Raume, der uns teilt.
Will denn nichts mehr zu dir dringen, nichts der Liebe Bote sein Singen will ich, Lieder singen, die dir klagen meine Pein!
Denn vor Liedesklang entweichet jeder Raum und jede Zeit, und ein liebend Herz erreichet, was ein liebend Herz geweiht!
Wo die Berge so blau
Wo die Berge so blau aus dem nebligen Grau schauen herein, wo die Sonne vergliiht, wo die Wolke umzieht, niochte ich sein!
Dort im ruhigen Tal schweigen Schmerzen und Qual. Wo im Gestein still die Primel dort sinnt,
On the hill I sit and gaze upon a blue, mist-shrouded land, toward the distant pastures, where I found you, my beloved.
Far from you have I been parted; hill and valley come between us and our tranquility, our joy and our suffering.
Ah, you cannot see the ardent gaze that I direct to you, nor hear the sighs which die within the space that lies between us.
Is there nothing that can reach you, will nothing be love's messenger I want to sing, sing songs to you that will express my pain.
For time and space must yield
to the sound of song,
and a loving heart will receive
that which a loving heart has proffered!
Where the blue mountains
peer out of
gloomy mists,
where the sun's glow fades,
where the clouds move,
would I like to be!
There in the quiet valley pain and grief are stilled. Where among the rocks the primrose quietly muses,
continued, please turn page quietly.
weht so leise der Wind, mochte ich sein!
Hin zum sinnigen Wald drangt mich Liebesgewalt, innere Pein.
Ach, mich zog's nicht von hier, kcinnt1 ich, Traute, bei dir ewiglich sein!
Leichte Segler in den Hohen
Leichte Segler in den Hohen und du Bachlein klein und schmal, konnt mein Liebchen ihr erspahen, griiBt sie mir viel tausendmal.
Seht, ihr Wolken, sie dann gehen sinnend in dem stillen Tal, laSt mein Bild vor ihr entstehen in dem luft'gen Himmelssaal.
Wird sie an den Biischen stehen, die nun herbstlich falb und kahl, klagt ihr, wie mir ist geschehen, klagt ihr, Voglein, meine Qual!
Stille Weste, bringt im Wehen hin zu meiner Herzenswahl meine Seufzer, die vergehen wie der Sonne letzter Strahl.
Fliistr' ihr zu mein Liebesflehen, laS sie, Bachlein klein und schmal, treu in deinen Wogen sehen meine Tranen ohne Zahl!
Diese Wolken in den Hohen
Diese Wolken in den Hohen, dieser Voglein muntrer Zug werden dich, o Huldin, sehen. Nehmt mich mit im leichten Flug!
Diese Weste werden spielen, scherzend dir um Wang' und Brust, in den seidnen Locken wuhlen. Teilt'ich mit euch diese Lust!
Hin zu dir von jenen Hugeln emsig dieses Bachlein eilt. Wird ihr Bild sich in dir spiegeln, flieS zuriick dann unverweilt!
and the wind lightly blows, would I were there!
To the pensive wood I am driven by love's power, and the ache in my heart. Naught would drag me away, could I stay, my beloved, forever with you!
Light sailors that sail on high, and you, brooklet small and narrow, if you can look upon my love, carry her my thousandfold greeting.
If you see her, then, o clouds, walking pensive in the quiet valley, let my image come before her, seen in heaven's airy vault.
If she lingers by the hedgerow, stripped and autumn-tinted now, tell her of my sad tale, lament, o little birds, my grief!
Silent west winds, waft my sighs to her whom my heart has chosen, sighs of sorrow that will vanish like the sun's departing rays.
Whisper my love's supplications, let her, brooklet small and narrow, in your ripples see reflected truthfully my countless tears.
These clouds that float on high,
these birds in merry flight
will see you, o my lovely one.
Take me with you on your effortless way!
These west winds merrily
will play on your cheeks and breast,
and toss your silken tresses.
Oh that I might share their bliss!
To your feet from yonder hills the brooklet eagerly hastens. Should her image be reflected, do not wait, flow back to me!
Es kehret der Maien
Es kehret der Maien, es bliihet die Au, die Liifte, sie wehen so milde, so lau, geschwiitzig die Bache nun rinnen. Die Schwalbe, die kehret zum wirtlichen Dach, sie baut sich so emsig ihr brautlich Gemach, die Liebe soil wohnen da drinnen.
Sie bringt sich geschaftig von
Kreuz und von Quer manch weicheres Stiick zu
dem Brautbett hierher, manch warmendes Stiick fur die Kleinen. Nun wohnen die Gatten beisammen so treu, was Winter geschieden, verband nun der Mai, was liebet, das weifi er zu einen.
Es kehret der Maien, es bliihet die Au, die Liifte, sie wehen so milde, so lau, nur ich kann nicht ziehen von hinnen. Wenn alles, was liebet, der Friihling vereint, nur unserer Liebe kein Friihling erscheint, und Tranen sind all ihr Gewinnen, ja, all ihr Gewinnen.
ihim sie hin denn, diese Lieder
Nimm sie hin denn, diese Lieder, die ich dir, Geliebte, sang, singe sie dann abends wieder zu der Laute siifiem Klang!
Wenn das Damm'rungsrot dann ziehet nach dem stillen blauen See, und sein letzter Strahl vergliihet hinter jener Bergeshoh';
Und du singst, was ich gesungen, was mir aus der vollen Brust ohne Kunstgepriing' erklungen, nur der Sehnsucht sich bewufit:
Dann vor diesen Liedern weichet, was geschieden uns so weit, und ein liebend Herz erreichet, was ein liebend Herz geweiht.
May is returning, the fields are in bloom, the winds blow so softly and warmly, the brooks run chattering on. The swallow returns to the hospitable roof and eagerly builds her bridal bower, and love will dwell within.
Busily she brings from
far and wide soft twigs with which to build
her bridal couch, warm scraps for the little ones. Now side by side the faithful couple live, what winter parted, May has brought together, knowing how to unite those who love.
May is returning, the fields are in bloom,
the winds blow so softly and warmly,
I alone may not stir from here.
When spring is uniting all those who love,
only our love knows no spring,
its only gain is in tears,
yes, its only gain.
Take them, then, beloved, these songs I sang to you, and sing them in the evening to the sweet sound of your lute!
As the twilight sky, rose-tinted, shines above the still, blue lake and the sun's last ray declines behind yon mountain peak;
And you sing the songs I sang, the songs that sprang from my full heart, which noting owe to artistry, knowing only longing:
Then these songs will overcome
the forces that would part us,
and a loving heart will receive
that which a loving heart has proffered.
II
Lieder to Texts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Franz Schubert
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Der Musensohn, D. 764
Durch Feld und Wald zu schweifen, Mein Liedchen weg zu pfeifen, So geht's von Ort zu Ort. Und nach dem Takte reget Und nach dem MaS beweget Sich alles an mir fort.
Ich kann sie kaum erwarten, Die erste Blum' im Garten, Die erste Bli.it am Baum. Sie griiBen meine Lieder, Und kommt der Winter wieder, Sing' ich noch jenen Traum.
Ich sing' ihn in der Weite, Auf Eises Liing und Breite, Da bliiht der Winter schon! Auch diese Bliite schwindet, Und neue Freude findet Sich auf bebauten Hoh'n.
Denn wie ich bei der Linde Das junge Vdlkchen finde, Sogleich erreg ich sie. Der stumpfe Bursche blaht sich, Das steife Madchen dreht sich, Nach meiner Melodie.
Ihr gebt den Sohlen Fliigel Und treibt durch Tal und Hiigel Den Liebling weit von Haus. Ihr lieben, holden Musen, Wann ruh'ich ihr am Busen Auch endlich wieder aus
Ganymed, D. 544
Wie im Morgenglanze Du rings mich angliihst, Friihling, Geliebter! Mit tausendfacher Liebeswonne Sich an mein Herz driingt Deiner ewigen Warme Heilig Gefuhl, Unendliche Schone!
Son of the Muses
Roving through meadow and forest,
piping my ditties abroad,
so I go on from place to place.
And the beat stirs,
and the measure motions
everything passed me.
I can hardly wait for them, the first flowers in the garden, the first blossom on the tree. They hail my songs, and when winter comes again, I still sing of that dream.
I sing it far and wide, on the length and breadth of the ice-how fair the winter blossoms then! This blossom fades too, and new delights are to be found on the farmland heights.
For by the lime tree when I
find the young folk,
at once I rouse them.
The dull boy draws himself up,
the graceless girl spins round
to my melody.
You give the feet wings,
and over hill and dale you drive
your darling far from home.
Dear blessed muses,
when may I rest on her bosom
again at last
Ganymede
How in the morning radiance you glow upon me from all sides, Spring, beloved! With love's thousandfold bliss to my heart thrusts itself your eternal ardour's sacred feeling, beauty unending!
DaG ich dich fassen mocht In diesen Arm!
Ach, an deinem Busen
Lieg ich, schmachte,
Und deine Blumen, dein Gras
Drangen sich an mein Herz.
Uu kiihlst den brennenden
Durst meines Busens,
Lieblicher Morgenvvind!
Ruft drein die Nachtigall
Liebend nach mir aus deni Nebeltal.
Ich komm, ich komme!
Wohin Ach, wohin
Hinauf! Hinauf strebt's.
Es schweben die Wolken
Abwarts, die Wolken
Neigen sich der sehnenden Liebe.
Mir! Mir!
In euerm SchoSe
Aufwarts!
Umfangend umfangen!
Aufwarts an deinen Busen,
Alliebender Vater!
An Schwager Kronos, D. 369
Spute dich, Kronos!
Fort den rasselnden Trott!
Bergab gleitet der Weg;
Eldes Schwindeln zogert
Mir vor die Stirne dein Zaudern.
Frisch, holpert es gleich,
Ober Stock und Steine den Trott
Rasch ins Leben hinein!
Nun schon wieder
Den eratmenden Schritt
Miihsam berghinauf,
Auf denn, nicht trage denn,
Strebend und hoffend hinan!
Weit, hoch, herrlich
Rings den Blick ins Leben hinein,
Vom Gebirg zum Gebirg
Schwebet der ewige Geist,
Ewigen Lebens ahndevoll.
Might I clasp you in these arms!
Ah, at your breast
I lie, languish,
and your flowers, your grass
thrust themselves to my heart.
You cool the burning
thirst of my bosom,
sweet morning wind!
The nightingale calls me
lovingly from the misty vale.
1 come, I come! Whither Ah, whither
Upwards! Upwards it strives.
The clouds float
down, the clouds
bow down to yearning love.
To me! To me!
In your lap
upwards!
Embracing embraced!
Upwards to your bosom,
All-loving Father!
To Coachman Chronos
Hurry, Chronos! Away on a rattling trot! The path glides downhill; a loathesome dizziness overcomes me when you hesitate. Come, the way is bumpy, over stick and stone trot quickly into life!
Now once again, the breathless pace, arduously up the hill, upwards, then. Don't be sluggish-striving and hoping, upwards! Far, high, splendid, the view of life all around; from mountain to mountain glides the eternal spirit, foreseeing eternal life.
continued, plcnsc turn page quietly.
Seitwarts des Uberdachs Schatten Zieht dich an.
Und ein Frischung verheiBender Blick Auf der Schwelle des Ma'dchens da. Labe dich!--Mir auch, Madchen, Diesen schiiumenden Trank, Diesen frischen Gesundheitsblick!
Ab denn, rascher hinab! Sieh, die Sonne sinkt! Eh sie sinkt, eh mich Greisen Ergreift ini Moore Nebelduft, Entzahnte Kiefer schnattern Und das schlotternde Gebein.
Trunknen vom letzten Strahl Reifi mich, ein Feuermeer Mir im schiiumenden Aug, Mich geblendeten Taumelden In der Hcille nachtliches Tor.
Tone, Schwager, ins Horn,
RaSle den schallenden Trab,
DaS der Orkus vernehnie: wir kommen,
Da8 gleich an der Tiir
Der Wirt uns freundlich empfange.
Am Flusse, D. 766
Verfliesset, vielgeliebte Lieder, Zum Meere der Vergessenheit! Kein Knabe sing' entziickt euch wieder, Kein Madchen in der Bliitenzeit.
Ihr sanget nur von meiner Lieben; Nun spricht sie meiner Treue Hohn. Ihr wart ins Wasser eingeschrieben; So fliesst denn auch mit ihm davon.
Wilkommen und Abschied, D. 767
Es schlug mein Herz, geschwind, zu Pferde!
Es war getan fast eh gedacht.
Der Abend wiegte schon die Erde,
Und an den Bergen hing die Nacht;
Schon stand im Nebelkleid die Eiche,
Ein aufgetiirmter Riese, da,
Wo Finsternis aus dem Gestrauche
Mit hundert schwarzen Augen sah.
The shelter's shadow draws you
to its side.
And a glance, promising refreshment
from the girl there on the threshold.
Refresh yourself! For me, too, girl,
this effervescent drink,
that fresh, healthy look!
Downwards, then, faster!
Look the sun sets!
Before it sets, before I, an old man,
am caught on the moor in the fog,
toothless jaws chattering
and bones rattling.
Drunk from the last ray,
a sea of fire rages
in my eyes.
Blind, I stagger
to the night gate of Hades.
Blow your horn, coachman, rattle up a resounding trot. Let Orcus know: we're coming, so that at the door the host will greet us warmly.
By the River
Flow away, beloved songs,
Into the sea of oblivion!
No enraptured youth, no maiden in the
springtime of life will ever sing you again.
You told only of my beloved, Now she pours scorn on my constancy. You were inscribed upon the water; Then with the water flow away.
Welcome and Departure
My heart pounded, hurry, to the horse! It was done almost quicker than the thought. Evening already covered the earth, and night hovered over the mountains; the oak stood wrapped in fog, a giant, rearing up,
where darkness watched from the bushes with a hundred black eyes.
Der Mond von einem Wolkenhiigel Sah klaglich aus dem Duft hervor, Die Winde schwangen leise Fliigel, Umsausten schauerlich mein Ohr; Die Nacht schuf tausend Ungeheuer, Doch frisch und frohlich war mein Mut: In meinen Adern welches Feuer! In meinem Herzen welche Glut!
Dich sah ich, und die milde Freude FloK von dem siiBen Blick auf mich; Ganz war mein Herz auf deiner Seite Und jeder Atemzug fur dich. Ein rosenfarbnes Friihlingswetter Umgab das liebliche Gesicht, Und Zartlichkeit fur mich--ihr Gotter! Ich hofft' es, ich verdient' es nicht!
Doch ach, schon mit der Morgensonne Verengt der Abschied mir das Herz: In deinen Kiissen welche Wonne! In deinem Auge welcher Schmerz! Ich ging, du standst da und sahst zur Erden, Und sahst mir nach mit nassem Blick: Und doch, welch Gliick, geliebt zu werden Und lieben, Gotter, welch ein Gliick!
From a hill of clouds the moon looked miserably through the haze, the winds beat their wings softly, howling gruesomely around my ears; the night created a thousand monsters, but my spirit was lively and merry: a fire flowed through my veins! Embers glowed in my heart!
I saw you, and a gentle joy
from your sweet gaze flowed towards me;
my heart was all yours
and every breath was for you.
A rose-colored spring weather
surrounded your sweet face,
and tenderness for me--o gods!
I hoped it, but did not deserve this!
But alas, departure crushes my heart
as the morning sun comes up:
bliss fills your kisses!
Pain fills your eyes!
I left, you stood there looking down,
and gazed after me with tears in your eyes:
and yet, happiness is being loved
and happiness, gods, is to love!
Ill
Lieder to Texts by Heinrich Heine
Robert Schumann (Heinrich Heine)
Tragodie I, II, Op. 64, No. 3
Entflieh mit mir und sei mein Weib, Und ruh an meinem Herzen aus; Fern in der Fremde sei mein Herz Dein Vaterland und Vaterhaus. Gehst du nicht mit, so sterb' ich hier Und du bist einsam und allein; Und bleibst du auch im Vaterhaus, Wirst doch wie in der Fremde sein.
Es fiel ein Reif in der Friihlingsnacht, Er fiel auf die zarten Blaublumelein, Sie sind verwelket, verdorret. Ein liingling hatte ein Madchen lieb, Sie flohen heimlich von Hause fort, Es wufit' weder Vater noch Mutter.
Tragedy I, II
Elope with me and be my wife, and take your rest upon my heart; far from home let my heart be your fatherland and father's home. If you'll not come, here I shall die, and you will be lonely and alone; and even though in your father's home, you'll be as in a foreign land.
In the spring night frost fell,
and fell on the tender forget-me-nots;
they are blighted, withered.
A young man loved a maiden,
they eloped together in secret,
neither father nor mother knew.
continued, please turn page quietly.
Sie sind gewandert hin und her,
Sie haben gehabt weder Gliick noch Stern.
Sie sind verdorben, gestorben.
Lehn' deine Wang', Op. 142, No. 2
Lehn' deine Wang' an meine Wang', Dann flieGen die Tranen zusammen; Und an mein Herz driick' fest dein Herz, Dann schlagen zusammen die Flammen!
Und wenn in die grofie Flamme fliefit Der Strom von unsern Tranen, Und wenn dich mein Arm gewaltig umschlieBt-Sterb' ich vor Liebessehnen!
Abends am Strand, Op. 45, No. 3
Wir safien am Fischerhause, Und schauten nach der See; Die Abendnebel kamen, Und stiegen in die Hoh'.
Im Leuchtturm wurden die Lichter Allmahlich angesteckt, Und in der weiten Feme Ward noch ein Schiff entdeckt.
Wir sprachen von Sturm und Schiffbruch, Vom Seemann, und wie er lebt, Und zwischen Himmel und Wasser, Und Angst und Freude schwebt. Wir sprachen von fernen Kiisten, Vom Siiden und vom Nord, Und von den seltsamen Menschen Und seltsamen Sitten dort.
Am Ganges duftet's und leuchtet's, Und Risenbaume bliihn, Und schone, stille Menschen Vor Lotosblumen knien.
In Lappland sind schmutzige Leute, Plattkopfig, breitmaulig und klein; Sie kauern urns Feuer, und backen Sich Fische, und quaken und schrein.
Die Madchen horchten ernsthaft, Und endlich sprach niemand mehr; Das Schiff war nicht mehr sichtbar, Es dunkelte gar zu sehr.
This way they wandered, that way, luck was not in their favor. They perished, died.
Rest Your Cheek
Rest your cheek on my cheek, together our tears will flow; press firm to my heart your heart, together the flames will leap!
And when into that great flame the stream of our tears flows, and when I crush you to me-I shall die of love's desire!
At the Beach in the Evening
We sat by the fisherman's cottage, and gazed out at the sea; the mists of evening came and climbed aloft.
At the lighthouse the lights were gradually kindled, and in the far distance was sighted one more ship.
We talked of storm and shipwreck,
of the sailor and how he lives,
poised between sky and sea,
between fear and joy.
We talked of distant shores,
of South and of North,
and of the strange people
and strange customs there.
The Ganges is fragrant, sparkling, the giant trees bloom there, and handsome, quiet people kneel to lotus flowers.
In Lapland are dirty people, flat-headed, big-mouthed and small; they squat over fires, fry fish, and squeak and scream.
Earnestly the girls listened, at last no one spoke any more; the ship was no more to be sighted, it was growing far too dark.
Belsazar, Op. 57
Die Mitternacht zog naher schon; In stummer Ruh' lag Babylon.
Nur oben in des Konigs Schlofi,
Da flackert's da larnit des Konigs TroB.
Dort oben in dem Konigssaal Belsazar hielt sein Konigsmahl.
Die Knechte saGen in schimmernden Reihn, Und leerten die Becher mit funkelndem Wein.
Es klirrten die Becher, es jauchzten die Knecht'; So klang es dem storrigen Konige recht.
Des Konigs Wangen leuchten Glut; Im Wein erwuchs ihm keeker Mut.
Und blindlings reifit der Mut ihn fort; Und er lastert die Gottheit mit sundigem Wort.
Und er briistet sich frech, und lastert wild; Die Knechtenschar ihm Beifall brullt.
Der Konig rief mit stolzem Blick; Der Diener eilt und kehrt zuriick.
Er trug viel gulden Gerat auf dem Haupt; Das war aus dem Tempel Jehovas geraubt.
Und der Konig ergriff mit frevler Hand Einen heiligen Becher, gefiillt bis am Rand.
Und er leert ihn hastig bis auf den Grund Und rufet laut mit scha'umendem Mund:
'Jehova! dir kiind'ich auf ewig Hohn-Ich bin der Konig von Babylon!'
Doch kaum das grause Wort verklang, Dem Kcinig ward's heimlich im Busen bang.
Das gellende Lachen verstummte zumal; Es wurde leichenstill im Saal.
Und sieh! und sieh! an weifier Wand Da kam's hervor wie Menschenhand;
Und schrieb und schrieb an weifier Wand Buchstaben von Feuer, und schrieb und schwand.
Der Konig stieren Blicks da saS,
Mit schlotternden Knien and totenblaB.
Belshazzar
Midnight drew near; Babylon lay silent and at rest.
But above, at the king's palace,
lights flare, the king's followers roister.
Above, in the king's hall, Belshazzar holds his kingly banquet.
In gleaming rows the lords sat, draining goblets of sparkling wine.
The goblets clashed, the lords made merry, noise pleasing to that obdurate king.
The king's cheeks blazed,
his boldness, with wine, increased.
And blindly his courage whirls him away, wickedly he blasphemes God.
And boldly he brags and wildly blasphemes; the lords roar their applause.
The king called with haughty mien; the serving man runs and returns.
On his head many golden vessels he bore, plandered from Jehovah's temple.
And the king with impious hand did seize a sacred goblet filled to the brim.
And hastily he drinks it dry,
and with foaming mouth, loudly cries:
'Jehovah! To you I proclaim eternal scorn-I am the king of Babylon!'
Yet scarce has those dread words died away, than the king felt secret fear in his heart.
The ringing laughter faded at once; the hall grew deathly still.
And behold, behold, on the white wall appeared the likeness of a human hand;
and on the white wall wrote and wrote letters of fire, and wrote, and was gone.
Staring the king sat there, trembling at knee, and pale as death.
continued, please turn page quietly.
Die Knechtenschar saB kalt durchgraut, Und safi gar still, gab keinen Laut.
Die Magier kamen, doch keiner verstand, Zu deuten die Flammenschrift an der Wand.
Belsazar ward aber in selbiger Nacht Von seinen Knechten umgebracht.
The lords in icy horror sat,
and did not stir, and gave no sound.
Magicians came, but none was able to read the fiery letters on the wall.
But Iklshazzar, that very night, was done to death by his lords.
IV
Lieder to Texts by Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff
Hugo Wolf
(Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff)
Der Soldat I
1st auch schmuck nicht mein RoGlein, handsome, so ist's doch recht klug, tragt ini Finstern zu 'nem SchloGlein
mich rasch noch genug.
1st das SchloB auch nicht prachtig,
zum Garten aus der Tiir
tritt ein Madchen doch allnachtig
dort freundlich herfiir.
Und ist auch die Kleine
nicht die Schonst' auf der Welt,
so giebt's doch just Keine,
die mir besser gefallt.
Und spricht sie vom Freien,
so schwing' ich mich auf mein RoK--
ich bleibe im Freien,
und sie auf dem Schlofi.
Der Soldat II
Wagen mufit du und fluchtig
erbeuten,
Hinter uns schon durch die Nacht hor' ich's schreiten.
Schwing' auf mein R08 dich nur schnell Und ku6' noch im Flug mich wildschones Kind, Geschwind! Denn der Tod ist ein rascher Gesell.
Der Mu si Li nt
Wandern lieb' ich fur mein Leben, Lebe eben wie ich kann, Wollt' ich mir auch Miihe geben, Pafit es mir doch gar nicht an.
The Soldier I
Although my horse may not look so
he is actually quite clever,
and will carry me through the dark to a
certain little castle quickly enough.
Although the castle is not very splendid, out of her door and into the garden steps a maiden every night who will be friendly to me. And although this small girl is not the fairest in the world, there is still no other that 1 like better. But if she speaks of marriage, I'll leap onto my horse-I'll stay free and she'll stay at the castle.
The Soldier II
You must be daring and seize every
passing opportunity; already I hear behind us the sound of marching through the night. Leap onto my horse quickly now and kiss me in our flight, lovely wild girl, quickly! for Death is a swift fellow.
The Musician
Journeying is my life's love, and I live as I may, and were I to exert myself, it would not suit at all.
Schone alte Lieder weifi ich, In der Kalte, ohne Schuh', DrauGen in die Saiten reifi' ich, Weifi nicht, wo ich abends ruh'.
Manche Schone macht wohl Augen, Meinet, ich gefiel' ihr sehr, Wenn ich nur was wollte taugen, So ein armer Lump nicht war'. Mag dir Gott ein'n Mann bescheren, Wohl mit Haus und Hof versehn! Wenn wir zwei zusammen wiiren, Mocht' mein Singen mir vergehn.
Der Scholar
Bei deni angenehmsten Wetter
singen alle Vogelein,
klatscht der Regen auf die Blatter,
sing ich so fur mich allein.
Denn mein Aug' kann nichts entdecken,
wenn der Blitz auch grausam gliiht,
was im Wandern konnt' erschrecken
ein zufriedenes Gemiit.
Frei vom Mammon will ich schreiten
auf dem Feld der Wissenschaft,
sinne ernst und nehm' zu Zeiten
einen Mund voll Rebensaft.
Bin ich miide vom Studieren, wann der Mond tritt sanft herfur, pfleg' ich dann zu musizieren vor der Allerschonsten Tiir.
Die Nacht
Nacht ist wie ein stilles Meer: Lust und Leid und Liebesklagen kommen so verworren her in dem linden Wellenschlagen. Wunsche wie die Wolken sind, schiffen durch die stillen Raume, wer erkennt im lauen Wind, ob's Gedanken oder Traume Schliefi" ich nun auch Herz und Mund, die so gern den Sternen klagen, leise doch im Herzensgrund bleibt das linde Wellenschlagen.
Beautiful old songs I know, and shoeless, in the cold, I pluck my strings in the open, know not where at eve I'll rest.
Many a beauty gives me looks, says she would fancy me if I'd make something of myself, were I not such a beggar wretch. May God give you a husband, provide a house and a home! If we two were together, my singing might then end.
The Scholar
In the most pleasant weather
all the little birds sing,
but when the rain is slapping the leaves,
I sing alone and for myself.
For my eyes can discover nothing,
when lightning flashes so cruelly,
that could appall in its travel
a truly contented mind.
Free from Mammon will I walk
on the fields of knowledge,
thinking seriously and taking, time to time,
a mouth full of grapejuice.
When I grow weary of study, when the moon steps softly out, I'll go to make music in front of my beloved's door.
Night
Night is like a quiet sea:
joy and sorrow and the laments of love
become tangled up
in the gentle throbbing of the waves.
Desires are like clouds
that sail through the quiet space:
Who can recognize in the mild wind
whether they are thoughts or dreams
even if my heart and mouth now are closed,
that like to lament to the stars so much,
still, at the bottom of my heart
there remains the gentle throbbing of those waves.
Liebesgliick
Ich hab' ein Liebchen Iiebrecht von Herzen:
Augen hat's wie zwei Kerzen,
und wo sie spielend streifen das Feld,
ach wie so lustig glanzet die Welt!
Wie in der Waldnacht zwischen den Schliiften
plotzlich die Taler sonnig sich kliiften,
funkeln die Strfime, rauscht himmelwarts
bliihende Wildnis--so ist mein Herz!
Wie vom Gebirge ins Meer zu schauen,
wie wann der Seefalk, hangend im Biauen,
der dammernden Erd' wo sie blieb:
so unermesslich ist rechte Lieb'!
Seemanns Abschied
Ade, mein Schatz, du mocht'st mich nicht,
ich war dir zu geringe.
Einst wandelst du bei Mondenlicht
und horst ein siifies Klingen:
Ein Meerweib singt, die Nacht ist lau,
die stillen Wolken wandern,
da denk' an mich, 's ist meine Frau,
nun such' dir einen Andern!
Ade, ihr Landsknecht', Musketier'!
wir zieh'n auf wildem Ro fie,
das baumt und uberschlagt sich schier
vor manchem Felsenschlofie.
Der Wassermann bei Blitzesschein
taucht auf in dunklen Nachten,
der Haifisch schnappt, die Moven schrei'n,
das ist ein lustig Fechten!
Streckt nur auf eurer Barenhaut
daheim die faulen Glieder,
Gott Vater aus dem Fenster schaut,
schickt seine Siindflut wieder!
Feldwebel, Reiter, Musketier',
sie miissen all' ersaufen,
derweil mit frischem Winde wir
im Paradies einlaufen.
Happiness in love
I love a maiden with all my heart: hellfrische
she has bright fresh eyes like two candles,
and wherever they playfully rest,
ah! how joyously gleams the world!
Just as in the dark woods, between ravines,
abruptly sparkle sunny gaps,
gleaming streams, and blossoming wildernesses
rustling heavenward--so it is in my heart!
Just as one gazes at the sea from the mountains,
just as the seahawk, gliding in the blue, zuruft
calls to the twilit earth where it lays:
so immeasurable is true love!
Seaman's Farewell
Adieu, my love, you do not want me-I was too low for you. One day you will wander by moonlight and hear sweet sounds: a mermaid is singing, the night is mild, the quiet clouds are drifting; you will think of me. It is my wife, so go find yourself someone else! Adieu, soldiers and musketeers! we ride a wild horse that rears up and almost flips over before many a rocky castle. The merman in the lightning flash surfaces in dark nights, the shark snaps and the seagulls cry: this is a merry struggle! Stretch out your lazy legs on your bearskin at home, Father God gazes out of his window and sends his Deluge again! Fieldmarshals, cavalrymen and musketeers, all must drown, while with a fresh wind we will land in paradise.
UMS
presents
Stephan Genz
Baritone
Roger Vignoles, Piano
Program
Thursday Evening, January 10, 2002 at 8:00 Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ludwig van Beethoven
I
An die Feme Geliebte, Op. 98, Nos. 1-6
Auf dem Hiigel sitz' ich
Wo die Berge so blau
Leichte Segler in den Hohen
Diese Wolken in den Hohen
Es kehret der Maien
Nimm sie hin denn, diese Lieder
Franz Schubert
II
Lieder to Texts by Johann Wolfgang Goethe
Der Musensohn, D. 764
Ganymed, D. 544
Am Schwager Kronos, D. 369
Am Flusse, D. 766
Wilkommen und Abschied, D. 767
INTERMISSION
Ill
Robert Schumann Lieder to Texts by Heinrich Heine
Tragodie I, II, Op. 64, No. 3 Lehn' deine Wang', Op. 142, No. 2 Abends am Strand, Op. 45, No. 3 Belsazar, Op. 57
IV
Hugo Wolf Lieder to Texts by Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff
Der Soldat I Der Soldat II Der Musikant Der Scholar Die Nacht Liebesgliick Seemans Abschied
The audience is politely asked to withhold applause until the end of each group of songs. Please do not applaud after the individual songs within each group.
Twenty-seventh
Performance
of the 123rd Season
Seventh Annual Song Recital Series
The photographing or sound recording of this concert or possession of any device for such pho?tographing or sound recording is prohibited.
Support for this performance is provided by media sponsor, WGTE.
The Steinway piano used in this evening's performance is made possible by Hammell Music, Inc., Livonia, Michigan.
Mr. Genz and Mr. Vignoles appear by arrangement with Matthew Sprizzo.
Large print programs are available upon request.
Tonight's program is organized not only by music, but by words as well. Each set of songs allows us to inves?tigate how a composer selects his texts, and perhaps even more inter?estingly, how he brings those texts to life. From the literary standpoint, with each song group, we are offered a glimpse of one poet's range of subjects. We can also appreciate each composer's emotional reactions to his stories, what he finds important, what he discards as insignificant. Were we to shuffle the cards and exchange composers and poets, we would have a vastly different concert indeed! Wolf's Goethe songs do not resemble his Eichendorff songs at all, just as Schubert's last songs on texts of Heine sound complete?ly different from the Goethe settings that we hear tonight. The best of the song repertoire from any culture represents a tailor-made fusion of words with music. This is so per?fectly exemplified in this all-German pro?gram that it becomes impossible to imagine these words with any other music, or these beautiful measures with any other texts.
I
Beethoven's fame rests on his symphonies, piano sonatas, and string quartets. Where vocal music is concerned, perhaps Fidelio would establish his immortality, but certainly not his songs. It is difficult to occupy such a revolutionary and titanic role in music, and be preoccupied with the smallest of all com?positional forms. Nevertheless, write ninety songs he did, throughout all but his final years. Not all are gems, but Beethoven surely does not deserve the maligning he generally receives from critics who prefer Schubert's lyrical gifts. When Beethoven succeeds, he is without peer, in song just as in larger forms. An die feme Geliebte is perhaps Beethoven's greatest such success in the realm of song. Written between 1816-17, at the beginning of his last period of composition, Beethoven
had suffered repeated disappointments in love, and his hearing was nearly gone. These romantic texts found an avid fan in the composer, and he responded with a lyricism and a graceful, flattering pianism that are completely appropriate for the heartsick texts of Jeitteles. Majesty and platitude are completely absent in this poetry, and to find the musical language for it, Beethoven renounces his accustomed mantle of grandeur and heroism, donning the more Schubertian cloak of touching vulnerability, simplicity and the folksong ideal. These songs do not elevate or ennoble us; they touch us with a subtle sentiment and charm.
Still, architecture is never wholly lacking with Beethoven. The master of theme and variation form uses this technique for most of this song-cycle. The many strophes of each song (except the last) are repeated unaltered in the voice, but each verse is accompanied by a new piano part, making the original melody sound fresh and seemingly changed. When this device is abandoned in the final song, a new directness is immediately perceptible as the poet asks his absent love to accept and sing his songs. When Beethoven brings back the first song as a coda to the last, he resumes his role as revolutionary, for this cyclical device was unknown in 1816 and was not to be used again with any frequency until 1840, Schumann's great year of song. Usually called the very first song-cycle, An die feme Geliebte is much more than a histor?ical bookmark. It shows us clearly how the depressed and nearly stone-deaf Beethoven was to embrace the poetic and lyrical as never before.
II
Much has been made of Goethe's negative reaction to Schubert's settings of his words. Apparently the vaunted father of German literature preferred much lesser lights when it came to creating musical environments for
his texts. Not for Goethe was the imaginative Schubert, who was the first to describe spin?ning wheels or galloping horses. All interest had to remain exclusively with the text, so any notion of fusion of words and music was not to Goethe's taste. Nevertheless, Schubert persisted, and fully ten percent of all his songs are to poems of the disapprov?ing master. It is further interesting to note that Am Schwager Kronos and Ganymed were written at the same time as Beethoven's cycle, from 1816 and 1817 respectively.
Schubert had begun writing songs only a few years earlier, but it did not take long for him to re-invent the concept of what a song could be. His model remains the basis of song even today, with the voice's melody eminently singable, yet tailored to the text's demands. The keyboard is not content to simply provide harmony and rhythm as Schubert's predecessors did, but has the added responsibility of describing the scene, the action, and the psychology behind the words themselves. (It was this new prototype that must have alienated Goethe so.)
Another of Schubert's talents was his ability to find infinite variety. The five Goethe poems we hear tonight range from the intensely personal to the heroic and grand, but the vocabulary of Schubert is always ready with an appropriate musical setting. Throughout tonight's set we encounter Goethe using classical Greek mythological figures. Ganymed is one of Schubert's most forward-looking efforts. Through-composed and using no less than five different piano textures, the impetuosity and sensuous heat of the young cupbearer to the gods is strik?ingly captured. The music accelerates as do the words, and both seem to ascend out of sight, out of hearing range. If An die feme Geliebte reminded one of Schubert, with Am Schwager Kronos Schubert imitates the giant Beethoven. Goethe's text calls for unceasing drive throughout, and Schubert is quick to
sacrifice his accustomed lyricism for the necessary heroics. Wilkommen und Abschied blends the agitation of departure with the sensuousness of brief lovemaking. Here we can appreciate too how Schubert could manipulate harmonies to suggest subtleties in Goethe's text.
Ill
The names Schumann and Heine are forever joined if only for the two masterpieces of 1840, Dichterliebe and Liederkreis, Op. 24. While Schumann had enormous success with the texts of other poets such as Riickert and Eichendorff (whom we will meet later), the highly descriptive, passionate style of Heine's poems created many masterpieces. The elements of sarcasm and irony in Heine were consistently avoided by Schumann, who focused instead on the romantic and narrative qualities inherent in so many of the great writer's works.
Schumann carried forward Schubert's pioneering work with song, now aided first with a more advanced keyboard instrument resembling today's piano, and secondly with the unbridled and unabashedly romantic spirit of his time. Whereas Schubert elevated the accompaniment to its most interesting role, with Schumann the keyboard becomes a true protagonist, an equal partner often operating independently of the voice, although not in this program's particular group of songs. Despite the disparate opus numbers in tonight's selection of four Schumann songs, three were written in 1840, and one the following year (Lehn deine Wang'). The year 1840 was Schumann's time to literally explode with lyricism, composing no less than 127 songs.
This group of Schumann lieder opens with a two-part curiosity. Tragodie I opens with an impetuous invitation. Heine's text is
in the first person and the present tense, and we feel the spontaneity of the lovers' flight together. As the piano sweeps toward the song's conclusion, the scene is abruptly changed, and we now refer to the lovers in the third person and the past tense--their adventure has failed miserably. Heine is known to have stated that he felt this second part of Tragodie was as close to a folksong as he could pen, and as we listen to Schumann's three identical strophes, we hear how Heine's vision has been captured. (The third chapter of this tragedy was set as a duet for two voices by Schumann, a curious choice which renders it impossible to perform in a solo singer's recital.)
Lehn' deine Wang' is a brief but very passionate summons from lover to lover. That which cannot be said is certainly sug?gested by the turbulence of the piano part. Of special interest is the fact that originally Schumann intended this as part of his great Dichterliebe cycle, but saw fit to remove this. It was not published until his death.
The final two songs in this set show us Heine's story-telling ability and Schumann's keen and picturesque response to it. Abends am Strand may strike us as slightly politically incorrect today, stereotyping people as Heine does, but we must remember he was a prod?uct of his own time, and used the exotic nationalities only for effect, having no per?sonal knowledge of them. Finally, the great ballad Behazar provides descriptive narration on a grand scale. As with Schubert's Ganymed, the varied textures in the keyboard part aid enormously in creating the complete picture of this horrifying scene. At the song's con?clusion, melody and arpeggio are clearly inadequate to describe the surprising violence...only recitative will do.
IV
Admirers of Hugo Wolf are quick to emphasize that no other composer so completely pierces to the heart of a poem, that no other composer is able to serve up the facts and the implications in a text with Wolf's acuity. We must remember that Wolf had tools that his composer col?leagues tonight lacked: Wagner, his hero, had extended harmony and its inherent connotations well beyond anything Schumann could have imagined. Wolf was also fortunate to be in Vienna in 1888, when Freud's heretical hypotheses were taking root. The psychology of a poem was important as never before, and Wolf was able to oblige. Not for Wolf was the lovely melody with a flowing piano part below. His notion of a song so completely fuses voice, keyboard, and the German language that all three seem truly insepa?rable and organically connected. His skill as a musician allowed him to accept and adapt to any conditions the poet imposed on him.
Methods of writing vary enormously from composer to composer, and in Wolf's case a particularly extreme process was always in place. Wolf would become nearly obsessed with the texts of a given writer, and devote himself exclusively to reading and re-reading them until he had, as he stated, "entered into the psyche of the poet." Only at that point would he begin to devise musical settings. When the white heat of creation for that poet had been achieved and completed, Wolf would rest, writing nothing for perhaps a year, until another poet took his fancy.
Wolf's first big success (1888) was his songbook to fifty-three poems of Eduard Morike. One understands Wolf even better when one learns that he insisted that the poet's name be above his own with the work's publication, and called them
"poems set to music," not songs. It was only natural that he turned next to the poems of Joseph von Eichendorff, for these texts con?tinue to emphasize nature, humor, wit and honest realism, as did those of Morike. As can be quickly glimpsed from tonight's seven selections from this opus of twenty songs, here we meet a collection of sailors, minstrels, soldiers, students, gypsies and various other enchanting creatures, all of who are begging for musical treatment.
The two Soldier (Soldat) songs as well as the Minstrel (Musikant) feature motion, be it on horseback or strolling, and leave-tak?ing as the countryside must be wandered. The soldier songs are from a slightly earlier period in Wolf's composition, but this fact is undetectable as one listens. Eichendorff's youthful impetuosity and carefree good humor are perfectly captured. We can tell from the squareness of the minstrel's phras?ing and from the naivete of his harmonies that this is not an accomplished musician. Wolf is willing to remove his accustomed sophistication to paint this bumpkin of an itinerant singer who is only a fair to mid?dling wooer, and knows it.
The scholar is a masterpiece of economy and characterization. Listen to how he obeys all the rules of academic life--even counter?point rules!--and how the music changes when studying is forsaken in favor of sere?nading. Wolf was undecided about includ?ing "Die Nacht" with this songbook, and changed his mind several times. It was com?posed nearly ten years earlier, and one can hear the simple means not quite meshing with the sophistication of the other songs. Nevertheless, its mysterious, evocative atmosphere is not altogether unsuccessful.
"Liebesgluck" is a perfect illustration of Wolf's insistence on the inflection of the texts being perfectly captured. This is not a song for the rhythmically challenged. Again, the innocent fire of youth is instantly described by the composer. Our last song,
"Seemanns Abschied" features a fairly risque lyric for its time. Wolf needed bold harmon?ic strokes and incisive rhythmic gestures to limn these words. He apparently played this song for the great symphonist, Anton Bruckner, who is said to have exclaimed, "You devil! Where did you get these chords"
Program notes by Martin Katz.
German lyric baritone Stephan Genz has, in an astonishingly short time, become among Europe's most sought-after and acclaimed lieder interpreters. He has given recitals in Paris' Theatre Chatelet and Theatre des Champs-Elysees, London's Wigmore Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Brussels' Opera Royal de la Monnaie, the Schubertiade (FeldkirchHohenems), Aix-en-Provence, Edinburgh, Maggio Musicale and Verbier Festivals, as well as throughout Spain and Japan. His recordings on the Teldec, Hyperion, Claves and Capriccio labels include songs by Brahms, Schumann and Beethoven, the latter earning him a "Best of the Year 1999" Gramophone Award. This season he is making a North American recital tour that includes Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, CAL Performances (Berkeley, California), the Vocal Recital Series (Montreal), University Musical Society (Ann Arbor, Michigan), the Cleveland Chamber Music Society, and the Vocal Arts Society (Washington, DC); these are his first US appearances since making a sensationally received debut at New York's Frick Collection in January 2000.
Equally accomplished on the concert and opera stages, Mr. Genz has performed prin?cipal roles at La Scala; the Deutsche Oper Berlin; and the Operas of Lausanne, Rennes, Strasbourg and Paris (Bastille and Theatre des Champs-Elysees). He has also collaborated with such conductors as Myung-Whun Chung, Pierre Cao, Marcus Creed, Fabio Luisi, John
Eliot Gardiner, Daniel Harding, Thomas Hengelbrock, Philippe Herreweghe, Gustav Kuhn, Sigiswald Kuijken, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Fabio Luisi, Georges Pretre, Rene Jacobs and Giuseppe Sinopoli. In April 2002 he will make his Hamburg State Opera debut as Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosifan tutte, appear?ing with his brother, tenor Christoph Genz (Ferrando).
Awards and distinctions include top prizes at the Hamburg International Brahms and Stuttgart International Hugo Wolf Competitions and the Brahms-Preis des Landes Schleswig-Holstein (October 1999). Born in Erfurt, Germany, Mr. Genz's early
musical training was as a member of Leipzig's renowned Thomanerchor. At age fifteen he began studies with Hans-Joachim Beyer at Leipzig's Hochschule fur Musik and subsequently worked with Mitsuko Shirai and Hartmut Holl at Karlsruhe's Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik. He has also studied with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Mr. Genz appears by arrange?ment with Matthew Sprizzo.
Tonight's recital marks Stephan Genz's UMS debut.
The pianist Roger Vignoles is one of Britain's most outstanding musicians. Originally inspired by the playing of Gerald Moore, he decided on leav?ing college to pursue a career as a piano accompanist, completing his essential training with the distinguished Viennese-born teacher Paul Hamburger.
Since then reviewers worldwide have consistently recognized his distinctive qualities as a player. Among his first partners was the great Swedish soprano Elisabeth Soderstrom, whom he regularly accompanied throughout the 1970s and '80s. During this period, he also developed particularly fruitful collaborations with Dame Kiri te Kanawa; Sir Thomas Allen, recording many works including Schumann's Dichterliebe and Schubert's Winterreise; and Sarah Walker, in a wide repertoire of song, from German lieder and French melodies to cabaret songs by Gershwin, Britten and others. Recent seasons have included tours with Sylvia McNair, Dame Felicity Lott, Susan Graham, Veronique Gens, Sir Thomas Allen and Joan Rodgers, as well as recitals with Olaf Bar, Kathleen Battle, Brigitte Fassbaender, Bernarda Fink, Christine Schaefer, Thomas Hampson, Lorraine Hunt, Christoph Genz, Monica Groop and Sarah Walker, including appearances at the Bath, Cheltenham, Brighton, Aldeburgh, Prague, Schleswig-Holstein, Verbier and Ravinia Festivals. He is also a regular visitor to the Schubertiade in Feldkirch.
In 1997, the Schubert year, he devised and directed a week-long series entitled Landscape into Song at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in which his culminating performance of Winterreise with Robert Holl was described by the Times as "one of the most memorable performances of the year." In 1998 he inaugurated the Nagaoka Winter Festival in Japan, giving recitals and masterclasses based on Schubert's Winterreise, and has subsequently returned each year as artistic director. Last December he was the subject of BBC Radio 3's Artist in Focus series. In 2001 he took part in the Schumann Festival at the South Bank in London, giving recitals with Wolfgang Holzmair, Christiane
Oelze and Robert Holl, and gave staged per?formances of the complete Britten Canticles in Barcelona with John Mark Ainsley and Michael Chance.
Among his recent recordings, La Belle Epoque with Susan Graham (devoted to the songs of Reynaldo Hahn), Nuits d'Etoiles with Veronique Gens (Faure, Debussy, Poulenc) and a CD of Strauss, Mahler and Marx with Katarina Karneus all have been nominated for Gramophone awards, while his recording of Beethoven songs with Stephan Genz on Hyperion won the 1999 Award in the "Song Category." Future releases include the complete Wolf Morike-Lieder with Stephan Genz and Canciones Amatorias, a CD of Spanish songs with Bernarda Fink.
Future engagements include recitals with John Mark Ainsley, Joan Rodgers, Katarina Karneus and Leila Josefowicz, a return to Barcelona with Sarah Walker and tours to the US and Japan.
Tonight's recital marks Roger Vignoles' UMS debut.
UMS
presents
Renme Harris Puremovement
DirectorChoreographer
Rennie Harris
with additional contributions from the cast
Dratnaturg Ozzie Jones
Lighting Design Pamela Hobson
Set Construction Doron Kutnick
Stage Manager Terry Smith
Text
Sabela Delvin Grimes Rennie Harris Ozzie Jones
Sound Design
Produced and composed for
Bad Boi Productions by Darrin Ross
Visual Design Howard Goldkrand
Videographer Ryder Palmere
Rodney Mason William Shakespeare Raphael Williams
Rome & Jewels is a production of MAPPMultiArts Projects & Productions, New York City.
Program
Friday Evening, January 11, 2002 at 8:00 Power Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Rome & Jewels
Twenty-eighth
Performance
of the 123rd Season
Eleventh Annual Dance Series
The photographing or sound recording of this concert or possession of any device for such pho?tographing or sound recording is prohibited.
This performance is supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.
UMS is grateful to the University of Michigan for its support of the extensive educational activities related to this performance.
Additional support provided by media sponsor Metro Times.
Special thanks to Glenda Dickerson, U-M Department of Theatre and Drama, U-M Hip-hop and Cultural Studies Collective, U-M Center for African and African American Studies Department, U-M Department of Dance, and the Michigan League Underground Programming Department for their involvement in this residency.
Rennie Harris Puremovement appears by arrangement with MultiArts Projects & Productions (MAPP).
Large print programs are available upon request.
Cast
NarratorMC
The Grand Imperial Wizard: Ozzie Jones Understudy: Rennie Harris
The Montagues (aka "Monster Q's")
Rome Rodney Mason (aka "Zoe")
BenV. Mercutio Duane Lee
Sabela Delvin Grimes (aka "Ova Soul 7") Joel Martinez (aka "Teknyc") Duane Holland (aka "BAM") Richard Soto Terry Wright
The Capulets (aka "Caps")
Tybault Raphael Xavier Williams (aka "Z-NO-Zeen")
Lady Jules Jules Heather Urich
Cricket James Colter
Cat Catherine Golden
Musicians DJMiz
DJ Cisum
DJ Evil Tracy

Director's Note
I think it is important to say, I believe this to be my hardest work to date.. .mainly due to my condition?ing as a kid. I lived musicals and ate old tap dance movies. So it would seem that I was destined to be a choreogra?pher, though I would have disagreed with most. No doubt, my brain was on overload and deeply conditioned to believe there was a set structure to follow when creating works such as this one. Before this project was renamed Rome & Jewels it was originally a current version of West Side Story. Then, I saw Baz Luhrmann's version of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. My inspirations are usually brought about by way of my personal expe?riences; it is a rare occasion for me to be inspired by something outside of my imme?diate world. But the way Mr. Luhrmann directed this film blew my mind, especially his play with time. Because of my infatuation with the concept of time, I attempted to slow the dynamics of the hip-hop dance form dramatically to bring out detail, as well as to downplay the spirit of hip-hop dance culture that so many confuse with energy and acrobatics. Constantly aware of my childhood conditioning, I tried to avoid-at all costs-being corny or too dramatic. I still feel Rome & Jewels is a lil' corny, but I am satisfied enough with the overall project to mount it.
My issue has always been the preconceived notion of what and who Romeo and Juliet are to each other and the world. Once I dropped my conditioned images of who they are, I made more progress. I began to see their relationship to hip-hop culture. The only difference in finding that relationship with Shakespeare's text was the language. Once you get past that you truly understand. How brilliant is it to write plays that cover every possible scenario, experience and situ?ation that presents itself in life How could
hip-hop not be a connection Besides, Shakespeare was like you and me. He is only now considered a brilliant artist, but in his time his own elitist countrymen didn't accept him. So, in short, once I saw this connection, it was on like dat. Fusing Shakespeare with Ebonic dialect, etc. There was no stopping me; there were no rules to abide by. I deviated from the source and used the story of Romeo & Juliet as a baseline from which to journey towards current time and space. I decided that it wasn't about Rome's and Jewels' love but rather it was about Rome's destiny and accepting that. In order for him to move on spiritually, he had to challenge reality. What better way to get him to chal?lenge reality than the spirit of a woman Jewels' being challenges his spirit and con?fuses what he thinks he knows. I found it more interesting to have Jewels conjured by Rome; we see her only through his eyes. We, as men, seem to conjure the women we want. We are guilty of projecting our defined images of women and who they are in rela?tionship to ourselves. How wack is that I chose not to have a physical Jewels, I chose to have Rome deal with the truth. When it's all said and done, Jewels may have been a figment of his or your imagination, who knows Or better yet, Jewels could be you. For the most part, I thought it would be too easy to have a physical body representing Jewels. That way, we, the audience, can con?jure up our own image of who she is. I also chose to spell her name, "J-E-W-E-L-S," to represent hip-hop culture's fascination with jewelry and material things, as well as to transpose her image as an opposing force.
These are just a few of the issues I wres?tled with during the creation. Whether or not these issues are apparent-who cares The only thing I care about is the experience. Though I take a chance in spoon-feeding you just a HI' of what I was thinking during the creation, I think it is important to have the experience. I am tired of knowing the
plot before it happens. I am tired of under?standing everything I watch. I want to be challenged. I want to go back and look at it again to get more information. My last words to you are, don't worry about whether you like it or not. Just have the
experience, absorb it and move on.... And when in doubt, try to imagine what silence looks like.
Peace and Love, -Rennie Harris
A GLOSSARY OF TERMS
B This term is used in the B-boy culture when addressing someone who is thought to be from the
B-boy culture andor from the Bronx, where it is said that the culture of hip-hop was developed.
B-BOY The true name for what popular culture calls break-dancers. Jamaican DJ Kool Here
coined the phrase B-boys and B-girls.
BIG Short for Biggie Smalls Notorious B.I.G., infamous MC Rapper who was murdered during the
East Coast West Coast Hip-Hop War.
bounce Slang for leave, exit andor dance.
chicken head Slang for a female crack addict.
DADDY Term used to acknowledge authority, power, and respect.
dip To leave or walk away, sneak out.
G Slang for Gangster, God andor Money
HOMIES Said to have originated in Germany (homeboy). In the hip-hop sense, it means someone
who is your friend, neighborhood buddy, or childhood friend.
killadelphia Slang for Philadelphia, once known as the murder capital of the United States.
LAMP To calm down, chill out.
money Commonly used to give respect from one man to another in regard to his financial status
and power; to project to someone that he or she is wealthy or has power is a compliment.
nina miller Nine millimeter (automatic gun).
pac Short for Tupac Shakur, infamous MC Rapper who was murdered during the East Coast West
Coast Rap War.
phat Good, the best, excellent.
poppopping Creating illusions with one's body. Sometimes referred to as Boogaloo or Boogie.
Considered by most as a technique, but its origins started as popular dance in neighborhoods and
urban cities on the West Coast of the U.S.
tag Slang for a particular style of graffiti, a form of hip-hop art usually displayed on public
property as a form of protest andor recognition.
tight Pregnancy, or in the hip-hop sense, something good or excellent.
tripping Someone who is crazy, out of his mind.
WAY My neighborhood or someone else's neighborhood.
Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM) was founded in 1992 and is dedicated to preserving and disseminating hip-hop culture through workshops, classes, hip-hop history lecture-demonstrations, long term residencies, mentoring programs, and public performances. The Company's work encompasses the diverse and rich African-American traditions of the past, while simultaneously presenting the voice of a new generation through its ever-evolving interpretations of dance. The company is committed to providing audiences with a sincere view of the essence and spirit of hip-hop rather than the commercially exploited stereotypes portrayed by the media.
RHPM has established a strong reputa?tion in Philadelphia for innovative and exciting classes and workshops for children beginning with Rennie Harris' own involve?ment teaching as part of the Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Center from the age of fourteen. The Company engages its commu?nity on a number of levels and has made significant impact with at-risk youth in Philadelphia. The Company produces a hip-hop festival-Illadelph Legends-that takes place annually in Philadelphia, honoring local and national hip-hop pioneers. Through events including symposia, jam sessions, lectures, panel discussions and demonstrations, the festival brings together some of the seminal performers from the beginning of hip-hop to share their histories with the contemporary performers, who are the major influences in the culture today.
Since its inception, Rennie Harris Puremovement has performed to sold-out audiences at venues in the US and abroad including Grand Halle de Pare de la Villette in Paris, Reichold Center in St. Thomas, The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Holland Festival, Kiasma Museum in Helinski, Spoleto Dance Festival in South Carolina, the Nervi Festival in Italy,
Colorado Dance Festival in Boulder, the New Victory Theater, New York City, Bates Dance Festival in Maine, On the Boards in Seattle, and Dance Place in Washington, DC. In the past year, the Company has con?tinued to build its international reputation through its participation in Cool Heat, Urban Beat which continues to perform to packed houses throughout the world. In March 2001, RHPM was honored with the invitation to appear and perform at the NAACP's Image Awards. The Company has toured the US as part of Chuck Davis' DanceAfrica America and most recently received critical praise for its participation in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's DanceAfrica Festival. Rome & Jewels has been touring to sold-out houses since its premiere in June 2000 and will continue to tour internationally throughout the 20022003 season.
This weekend's performances mark Rennie Harris Puremovement's debut appearances under UMS auspices.
Rennie Harris (Artistic Director, Choreographer and Director) is well versed in the vernacular of hip-hop, which includes the various techniques of B-boy (misnomer "break dancing"), house dancing, stepping and other styles that have emerged sponta?neously from the urban, inner cities of America, like the North Philadelphia com?munity in which he was raised. He has brought these social dances to the concert-stage, creating a cohesive dance style that finds a cogent voice in the theater. He is a powerful spokesperson for the significance of street origins in any dance style. Intrigued by the universality of hip-hop, he seeks inspiration from other forms including per?formance art. As a pioneer in performing, choreographing and teaching hip-hop, he
has toured the country and abroad with the first organized hip-hop tour in America, the Fresh Festival, starring Run DMC, Fatboys, Curtis Blow, and Whodini. He has also worked with Kool Moe Dee, West Street Mob, Salt 'n' Pepa and other noted hip-hop stars. Since the age of fifteen, he has taught workshops and classes at many schools and universities including University of the Arts, UCLA, Columbia College, Alabama School of Ballet, Colorado Dance Festival and Bates College. He is a 1996 recipient of the Pew Fellowship in the Arts for Choreography and has received awards from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a Pew Repertory Development Initiative grant, the City of Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and 1996 Philadelphia Dance Projects commis?sion. He has been nominated three times for a Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. He was voted one of the most influential people in the last one hundred years of Philadelphia history and has been compared to twenti?eth-century dance legends Alvin Ailey and Bob Fosse. Harris is a recipient of a 2001 New York Dance and Performance Award (BESSIE) for his choreography for Rome & Jewels. His group of dancers and their infec?tious brand of movement have toured around the globe. At thirty-seven, Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris is atop the hip-hop heap-its leading ambassador.
Arville "Ozzie" Jones (Dramaturg and Narrator) graduated with high honors from Bates College, Maine with a BA in Theater and a secondary concentration in Political Science and Philosophy. Mr. Jones has taught students from pre-school to adults in churches, public and private schools, universities and colleges, adult and youth prisons and com?munity centers. In 1995, Ozzie Jones was named to the Lincoln Center Theater list of top 100 young American Directors as part of their Directors Lab. He also won the Hal Prince Award for "Best Director of a Musical"
and "Best Choreography" for his direction of Black Nativity. He was chosen by Ntozake Shange to direct a reading of her novel, Resurrection of the Daughter: Lillian, at Crossroads Theater Company, where he also wrote, directed, scored, served as musical director and performed in Doors Open to One Love. Mr. Jones has received critical acclaim for his direction of plays including Home at Temple Theater, The Countless Cathleen and Third and Indiana at the Arden Theater Company, and Fires in the Mirror and Mission Impossible for the Venture Theater. Mr. Jones is the first African-American to direct a play for an Irish Theater Company in the history of the Republic; of Ireland. In 1997, he directed and scored Shakespeare's Othello for the Second Age Theater Company in Dublin and returned again to that theater in 1998 to write and perform the score for Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Jones, along with Elliot Kingsmith, wrote and performed the score for the critically-acclaimed documentary film John P. Davis directed by Robert Branham and is a found?ing member of the hip-hop group and com?pany, Name Communications Inc.
DJ Mr. Cisum (Musician), personally known as Larry D. Fowler, Jr., grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and now resides in West Philadelphia. DJ Cisum is a DJco-producer for the Philly-based music group, Name. He has worked in several recording studios in the city and produces some of Philly's best underground talent. Under the direction of Ozzie Jones and Rennie Harris, Cisum has helped score such plays as Fires in the Mirror and Black Nativity. Aside from the plays, studio, and production work, "Cis" does what he loves best in the Philly nightspots-plays music.
James P. "Cricket" Colter (Dancer) is a hard-core underground hip-hop (house,
b-boy, etc.) dancer who has opened concerts for major recording artists such as Boyz II Men, KRS-1, Dee-Lite, Will Smith and Rosie Perez and has danced in many international hip-hop dance contests. Cricket is an accomplished illustrator whose work is heavily influenced by hip-hop culture. He is also part of the New York-based break danc?inghip-hop dance crew, Step Frenz, and has his own dance crewcompany, Crazy Natives Soul Motion. Currently Cricket is research?ing and lecturing about hip-hop.
Catherine "Cat" Golden (Dancer) was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She is always eager to learn something different-from snowboarding and surfing, to skateboarding. Cat studied graphic design at the School of Visual Arts, NYC but during her freshman year of college she discovered her love for B-girl'n and couldn't stop. This is her first season with RHPM and her time and artistic talents are now entirely devoted to improving her dance skills. Cat hopes to be a positive role model for young women in hip-hop and to raise the status of women in the culture.
Sabela D. Grimes (Dancer) is an interdisci?plinary artist that consistently incorporates his talents in the areas of dance, vocals, com?position and spoken word to his work. He has performed nationally and internationally as a spoken-word artist and dancer and has also been involved in regional theatre as an actor, vocalist and dancer. This California native migrated to Philadelphia via a fifteen-month stay in Soweto, South Africa. Sabela is a graduate of UCLA, where he received a BA in English Literature with a secondary concentration in AfricanAfrican American Literature. Currently, he is heavily involved in the present wave of the "Philly sound" and plans to finish his first album by winter 2002. His soulful vocals and spoken word skills are featured on Ursula Rucker's debut album, Supa Sista. Stay tuned for Sabela's
solo project, Experiment Earth: The Philly Xp, featuring original soundprints, text and movement.
Duane L. Holland Jr. (Dancer) was born in Devon, PA, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Holland has studied dance at the Daily's School of Performing Arts, Broadway Dance Center, and Creative and Performing Arts School. He has performed with Kool and the Gang, Maurice Hines, Chuck Davis and Ron Brown and with Puremovement since 1994. He has toured all around the world, as a dancer and gymnast. As a mem?ber of the Junior National Team between 1989 and 1992, he competed in the Junior Pan American and in the Portugal Invitational, placing no lower than third place, twice. Holland aspires to have a career as an all around entertainer, but hopes to have singing leading the way.
Ivan Manriquez (Dancer), "The Urban
Action Figure," is the youngest of seven brothers who have been his strongest influ?ences and inspiration in the arts of: B-Boyism, Freestyle rhymes, Graffiti Writing and Turntablism within "the household." He has a strong international reputation and is known for his artistic and personal expres?sion, as well as his ability to vibe and inter?act with other cultures in the Artistic Community. He has competed in over 500 b-boy battles. In the First Annual Hip-hop Dance Awards he was nominated and won "Most Outstanding B-boy 2000." He is a member of the Universoul B-Boyz, a move?ment inclusive of all Urban Arts.
Joel "Teknyc" Martinez (Dancer) moved to the US from San Juan, Puerto Rico at the age of twelve. He credits an early interest in Breaking to his older brother who was rec?ognized as one of the top B-Boys in Puerto Rico. As an amateur boxer, Martinez won two Golden Glove Awards and has been a
member of the group Skill Methodz since 1997. He has appeared as an acrobatic stunt dancer through Universal Studios and has appeared on the national circuit through a sub-contracted company called G. Force Entertainment. Martinez currently lives in New York City and aspires to a career as a dancer in the entertainment business.
Hip-hop has been an element of Rodney "Zoe" Mason's (Dancer) life ever since his mother taught him to dance on the streets of South Philly. Weary with the burden of inner-city survival, he left home to join the Marines during the Gulf War. In 1991, he was urged to start his own dance company, Urban Colors, in Portland, Oregon. For the past five years, Rennie Harris Puremovement has provided him with an intersection of his interests and challenges. The family environment and the energy of the company motivate and stimulate his creativity and eccentricity, through which he has developed his own personal style by combining martial arts and comic wit with dance technique. For his outstanding performance as "Rome" in Harris' Rome & Jewels, Mr. Mason has received a 2001 New York Dance and Performance Award (BESSIE).
DJ Miz (Sakino Fumo Moultrie, Musician) has been DJing since 1986 when, at the age of thirteen, he began to master his skills on house turntables in collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Cash Money. He has since moved up to studio engineering, record production, DJing on one of the most pop?ular radio shows on Power 99, and is responsible for records, mix-tapes, and CDs that have reached all parts of the globe. Miz's DJing skills have been displayed throughout the world at club parties and concert appearances throughout the US working with artists such as LL Cool J, Bahamadia, Steady B, and the Tuff Crew. After winning the World Championships
in 1989, DJ Miz became the only DJ in the world recognized by DMC, when he beat their own world champion at the World Championships. This win landed DJ Miz a tour to Japan and Europe representing DMC. DJ Miz is currently touring interna?tionally with Cool Heat Urban Beat.
Tracy Thomas, "Evil Tracy" (Musician) has worked in the studio, on radio, television and video. In the summer of 1995 he worked with Grand Wizard Rasheen on the radio station 88.1. Some of his video and television credits include: Street Soldiers, by On The Go magazine, Live Convention, Old School Hip Hop Alliance, and the Tru Heads Movie, which was seen on HBO, BET, and The Avenue. Evil Tracy has opened for several international acts including Busta Rhymes and Wu-tang. He is a founding member of the Action Figure Crew; DJ Kid Swift, DJ Active and DJ Ghetto, a family crew out of Philadelphia. Evil Tracy participated in three DMC competitions, the Battle for World Supremacy, Temple University's DJ Battle, The Cat Club DJ Battle and Q102's DJ Spin-Off by DJ Jayski. He is the champion of many "one-on-ones."
Julie Urich (Dancer); also known as "Lady Jules," was born in St. Paul, MN, raised in Boulder, CO and currently lives in Philadelphia. She began studying gymnastics at the age of five and later began to perform in the hip-hop companies, The B.A.D. team in 1988 and Millennium 2000 in 1996. Her growing interest in the art of b-boying led her to train and become a member of Rennie Harris Puremovement. In only two short years she has been touring nationally and internationally at such theaters as The Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), M.C.A. (Chicago), On The Boards (Seattle), P.S. 122 (New York City) and Teatro Romano (Spoleto, Italy). Along with her busy touring schedule, Jules also instructs b-girl classes for RHPM
and hosts lectures about the history of hip-hop dance forms across the country.
Forrest Webb (Dancer) also known as "Getemgump," started dancing in 1982. He credits many of the popular breaking crews in New York City as well as some of the poppers and breakers in his Junior High School as his early influences. Forrest's recording credits include The Breakin Rules EP (Devious) and "Shout Outs" on Malcolm Maclarens' Buffalo Gals Back to School album (Virgin). His video credits include The Ghetto Has Been Good to Me (YZ), If 6 was 9 (Bootsy Collins), Buffalo Gals (Rakim) and 1, 2, 3...Rhymes Galore (DJ Tommek). Currently, Forrest lives in New York City where he continues to dance, teach and DJ.
Terry Wright (Dancer) is world-renown for both his hip-hop and house dancing and his choreography. Having worked and per?formed with internationally-acclaimed acts such as Mariah Carey, Will Smith, Whitney Houston, Lil Kim, Da Brat, this artist has successfully brought the raw style of self-taught dancing into the mainstream media. Terry is also a member of the crew, Elite Force, a.k.a. Mop Tops, which has been rec?ognized as constructing the face of "true hip-hop dance." Despite his commercial success, Terry has maintained his status as a dancer in the underground New York club scene by continuing to enter dance circles and innovating and developing his skills.
Raphael Xavier (Dancer), also known as "Xeno-Zen," has been performing with Puremovement for four years. As an overall artist, Raphael is a photographer, writer, musician, choreographer, and dancer. His latest music project is called Henry Bemis, the Man With the Glass Eyes. He is also pub?lishing a book of photography entitled, No Bicycle Parking and is working on a dance production called Olives which takes hip-
hop dance where many are afraid to take it. Raphael gives true meaning to the word "artist" and has much to prove it. Now a principal dancer in Rome & Jewels, he has been playing the character Tybault and still finds it artistically challenging. Rennie Harris has given him an opportunity to fig?ure himself out. He saw something in Raphael that he didn't see himself and now sees more than he ever has. Raphael thanks him for that and them some.
Howard Goldkrand (Video Designer) is a multimedia artist. His work has been pre?sented at the Whitney Museum of American Art, PS1 Center for Contemporary Art and is currently being presented in the Inter?national show, The Mirror's Edge. He is also the co-founder and director of Cultural Alchemy and the maker of the record label, SoundLab Happenings.
Ryder Palmere (Videographer) was born and raised in the pine barrens of Southern New Jersey. With his car full of belongings and the dream of becoming a filmmaker, he moved to Philadelphia six years ago and has since been active in the filmmaking and theatrical communities. He is the newest addition to Rennie Harris Puremovement, orchestrating abstract opticals for live performances.
Damn M. Ross (Executive Director, Producer, Composer, Sound Designer and Engineer) has been producing and engi?neering songs since 1984 with Jam On Productions. He is the recipient of a 2001 New York Dance and Performance Award (BESSIE) for his sound design for Rome & Jewels. Mr. Ross has worked with and estab?lished many artists in the industry such as, Voices Of Theory, PM Dawn, Nucleus, Aphillyation, Ram Squad, Tuff Crew, Doug E. Fresh, King Britt, ZHANE, Helen Bruner,
Jungle Brothers, Kim Waters, Todd Terry, The Roots, Bahamadia, Dee Dee Sharp Gamble, No Question, AZ YET, Victor Cooke, Bowser, Rampage, Brother Peace, Major Figgas, Grisha Coleman, Leon Evans, Mike Knox, and Doug Grisby. In 1992, he formed IQ Records and is now directing his own production company, KIA-TIFF. Past collaborations with Rennie Harris include the 1990 co-production of television seg?ments for Dance Party USA and 1 House Street, scoring and compositional efforts for works set on The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Memphis Ballet and various movies. In 1997, Mr. Ross won Philly's Street Buzz "Producer Of The Year" award. Currently, Ross is working on a proprietary live mixed DTS dance sound design, a new Rome & Jewels remix soundtrack, new collaborations with Rennie Harris, including Harris' forth?coming Facing Mecca and Ross' own solo album for a major label distribution deal. His sound design credits include Fallen Crumbs From The Cake, Cool Heat Urban Beat, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Memphis Ballet, Hot Mouth, Rome & Jewels, Maurice Hines Hot Feet, and Eleone Dance Company. Ross is president of his own recording studio, Bad Boi Studios.
Andy Schnritz (Stage Manager) is very excited to be a part of Rome & Jewels and to be working with Rennie Harris. Originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, Andy decided to start his professional career in Philadelphia, where he has worked with The Wilma Theater, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Prince Music Theatre and Headlong Dance Theatre. Most recently, he acted as a venue manager for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival 2000, which he described as, "a fab?ulous and hectic couple of weeks." He is currently working on perfecting his head spins.
Multiarts Projects & Productions (MAPP) produces and manages programs, projects and artists in all disciplines throughout the world. MAPP's activities include producing and touring the work of international artists in the US; producing and managing new works and large-scale projects for US artists; developing and coordinating programs that allow artists and producers to work with their peers in other countries; and develop?ing and coordinating special projects on local, regional, national and international fronts. In June 2000, MAPP introduced a new initiative, MAPP on Tour, to provide booking and management for projects pro?duced by MAPP and its artists. MAPP's multi-faceted touring and production pro?jects strengthen global exchange and engage artists, presenters and the public in the ongoing discussion of art, process, life and community.
Since its founding in 1994, MAPP has worked in collaboration with numerous arts organizations and artists including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Dance Theater Workshop, Joyce Theater, Network of Cultural Centers of Color, 651 ARTS, Arts International in New York, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Colorado Dance Festival in Boulder, Washington Performing Arts Society in Washington DC, Florida Dance Association, Chicago Dance Coalition, Minnesota Dance Alliance, Philadelphia Dance Alliance, Forum Danca (Portugal), UK Arts International, Rennie Harris Puremovement, Ralph Lemon Company, Bebe Miller Company, Sekou Sundiata and Craig Harris, Grupo Vocal Desandann and Los Munequitos de Matanzas (Cuba). MAPP is a member of the New York State Dance Force.
MAPP's international projects include US Portugal Dance Exchange and Cultural Pipeline Program (initiated in 1994), Nova Danca Portugal (1996), festival coordinator for New Europe (1999), a city-wide perform?ing arts festival in NYC, and International
Dancemakers Lab, an international exchange program (1999); production of US tours for Grupo Vocal Desandann, Los Munequitos de Matanzas, Companhia Clara Andermatt, Companhia Paulo Ribeiro; and international productions of choreographer and director Ralph Lemon.
Rome & Jewels is made possible through the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Doris Duke Charitable Fund, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Philip Morris Companies, Inc.
Rome & Jewels has been commissioned by University Musical Society of the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor); Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, ME); Columbus Association for Performing Arts (CAPA), Columbus, OH; and University of Texas (Austin). Additional commissioning support has been provided by the National Performance Network's Creation Fund in collaboration with On the Boards (Seattle) and the Office of Community Arts Partnerships, Columbia College, Chicago.
Funding for Rome & Jewels has been received from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Fund for US Artists at International Festivals and Exhibitions and the Rockefeller Foundation's Multi-Arts Production Fund. Costumes sponsored by Morocco Clothing and The Truth.
Musical Credits
"Leave It"
Written by Trevor Horn, Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire
O1983 Carlin Music Corp., Warner Chappell Music
Ltd. and Unforgettable Songs Ltd.
All rights for Carlin Music Corp. in the US and Canada
administered by Carbert Music Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.
O 1983 Perfect Songs Ltd.
All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.
"Numb"
Written by Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, Adrian Utlcy
O 1995 Chrysalis Music Ltd.
Administered in the US and Canada by Chrysalis Songs
(BMI) All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.
"Over"
Written by Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, Adrian Utley
O 1997 Chrysalis Music Ltd.
Administered in the US and Canada by Chrysalis Songs
(BMI) All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.
"Heart of Sunrise"
Written by Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford
O 1972 Topographic Music, Ltd. (PRS)
All rights OBO Topographic Music, Ltd. (PRS)
Administered by WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)
All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.
"No More Me"
Written by Sabcla D. Grimes and Arlynn Page
Original Rome Death Scene concept by Ron Wood. Original music composed and produced by Darrin Ross for BAD BOI Productions.
MultiArts Projects & Productions (MAPP) Cathy Zimmerman, Co-Director Thomas Kriegsman, Program Director
Please visit MAPP on the Internet at www.multiartsprojects.com.
Rennie Harris Puremovement
Rennie Harris, Artistic Director
Brandon Albright, Assistant Artistic Director
Darrin Ross, Executive Director
Sabela Delvin Grimes, Educational Director
Andy Schmitz, Technical Director
Please visit Rennie Harris Puremovement on the Internet at www.puremovement.com.
Special thanks to Baba Chuck Davis, Baba Reginald Yates, Jeremy Alliger, Laura Faure, Janice Deputy, Kim Cook, Cathy Zimmerman, Ann Rosenthal and all the presenters who shared in the vision of Rennie Harris Puremovement, Ken Fischer, Michael Kondziolka, Ben Johnson and the entire staff and crew at University Musical Society, and a special thanks to the RHPM staff and dancers who have worked so hard and given so much to make this production a success.
UMS
and
Borders
present
Rennie Harris Puremovement
DirectorChoreographer Rennie Harris with additional contributions from the cast
Dramaturg Ozzie Jones
Lighting Design Pamela Hobson
Set Construction Doron Kutnick
Stage Manager Terry Smith
Text
Sabela Delvin Grimes Rennie Harris Ozzie Jones
Sound Design
Produced and composed for
Bad Boi Productions by Darrin Ross
Visual Design Howard Goldkrand
Videographer Ryder Palmere
Rodney Mason William Shakespeare Raphael Williams
Rome & Jewels is a production of MAPPMultiArts Projects & Productions, New York City.
Program
Saturday Evening, January 12, 2002 at 8:00 Power Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Rome & Jewels
Please refer to page 16 in tonight's program book for complete program information on Rennie Harris Puremovement's Rome & Jewels.
Twenty-ninth
Performance
of the 123rd Season
Eleventh Annual Dance Series
The photographing or sound recording of this concert or possession of any device for such pho?tographing or sound recording is prohibited.
Tonight's performance is sponsored by Borders.
This performance is supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.
UMS is grateful to the University of Michigan for its support of the extensive educational activities related to this performance.
Additional support provided by media sponsor Metro Times.
Special thanks to Glenda Dickerson, U-M Department of Theatre and Drama, U-M Hip-hop and Cultural Studies Collective, U-M Center for African and African American Studies Department, U-M Department of Dance, and the Michigan League Underground Programming Department for their involvement in this residency.
Rennie Harris Puremovement appears by arrangement with MultiArts Projects & Productions (MAPP).
Large print programs are available upon request.
UMS
with
Alf Studios
and
Joseph Curtin
Studios
present
Brentano String Quartet
and
Mark Strand
Poet
Mark Steinberg, Violin Serena Canin, Violin Misha Amory, Viola Nina Maria Lee, Cello
Program
Sunday Afternoon, January 13, 2002 at 4:00 Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Joseph Haydn The Seven Last Words of Christ
Introduction.
Maestoso ed Adagio
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Largo
Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise.
Grave e cantabile
Woman, behold thy son, and you, behold thy mother.
Grave
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me
Largo
I thirst.
Adagio
It is done.
Lento
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
Largo
The earthquake.
Presto e con tutta la forza
Thirtieth Performance of the 123rd Season
Thirty-ninth Annual Chamber Arts Series
The photographing or sound recording of this concert or possession of any device for such pho?tographing or sound recording is prohibited.
This performance is co-sponsored by Alf Studios and Joseph Curtin Studios.
Special thanks to Gregg Alf and Joseph Curtin for their generous support of the University Musical Society.
This performance is made possible in part by a grant from Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Additional support provided by media sponsor Michigan Radio.
Special thanks to Richard Tillinghast, Ralph Williams, and Linda Gregerson, U-M English Language and Literature Department, Naomi Andre, U-M School of Music Musicology Department, and Andrew Jennings, U-M School of Music Strings Department, for their involvement in this residency.
The Brentano String Quartet appears by arrangement with MCM Artists.
Commission of the poetry by Mark Strand was funded by the Joseph Haydn Society.
Large print programs are available upon request.
The Seven Last Words of Christ
(Arranged for String Quartet) Franz Joseph Haydn
Born March 31, 1732 in Rohrau, Lower Austria Died May 31, 1809 in Vienna
By the mid-1780s, Haydn was undoubtedly the most famous composer in Europe, even before he wrote the later symphonies and oratorios that would ensure his fame in subsequent centuries. Commissions came to him from all over the continent: symphonies for Paris, concertos for the king of Naples (where the court composer Luigi Boccherini was a great admirer of Haydn), and in 1785, a curious commission from Cadiz, Spain, requesting some liturgical orchestral music for a Good Friday service. Haydn accepted and fulfilled most of these commissions in 1786, an exceptionally busy year during which he also directed no less than 125 opera perfor?mances for the court at Esterhazaza.
Why would such an internationally esteemed composer accept a commission from a remote church in Spain for another major-length work, given the extremely busy schedule to which Haydn was already committed at the time Part of the explana?tion must lie in the bizarre nature of the request, and the compositional challenge it presented. Following a long-established tra?dition at both the Cathedral in Cadiz and the nearby church of La Santa Cueva (which actually commissioned the work), the noon service on Good Friday took place in a darkened space, with black drapes covering the walls, windows, and doorways. Only a single lamp in the middle of the church pro?vided light. The priest would read each of Christ's seven final utterances--the "Seven Last Words"--from the Bible, followed by a long sermon. This was then followed by an equally long period of meditation, with
appropriate music. Traditionally this had been vocal music, an oratorio, but the canon at La Santa Cueva had asked Haydn for purely instrumental music appropriate to the occa?sion. Haydn later recalled: "The challenge of composing seven consecutive adagios, each approximately ten minutes long, without tiring the listener was by no means an easy task." No composer had ever attempted anything like it before, and few have since.
Another reason Haydn may have been attracted to this commission was the impos?ing of restrictions on liturgical composition in Austria by the Emperor, who had forbidden instrumental music at high masses. It was the restrictive nature of the Emperor's edict against sacred composition that compelled both Haydn and Mozart to almost completely cease from composing masses and other sacred works during the 1780s. This request from Cadiz was an opportunity for Haydn to once again compose a significant work of sacred music, outside the jurisdiction of the Emperor's edict.
In the end, Haydn could not quite fill the allotted time of ten minutes for each of the movements (most of them run approximately six to eight minutes in performance). What is remarkable, though, is the variety and interest that he was able to infuse into The Seven Last Words, despite the constraints of tempo and time.
Each of the movements in The Seven Last Words is labeled "sonata," an archaic use of that term that refers not to the multi-movement form so popular during the Classical era, but to its earlier use during the Renaissance as a common label for all instrumental (or "sound?ed") music, as distinct from vocal works which were referred to generically as cantatas. But as the established practice at Cadiz was for vocal music between the sermons and scriptural readings, the use of the term "sonata" in this context was both a nod towards ancient tra?dition and an indication that the tradition was being modified.
Despite the use of the "sonata" label, there is a strong vocal scaffold to Haydn's orchestral Seven Last Words, suggesting that he wished to maintain a direct and meaning?ful connection to the texts that surrounded and inspired the work. Haydn derived the principle melody for each of the "sonatas" explicitly from the Latin text of each scrip?tural utterance. He even included the words in the score, under the first violin part, to show how the melodic material grew from the text. Although never intended to be sung, it provides the players (at least) with an insight into the work's structure and its origins in a vocal conception.
The Seven Last Words was a tremendous success with the public, even beyond the specific liturgical occasion for which it was written. Concert performances across Europe followed soon after the Cadiz premiere, and it was performed in the US as early as 1793. Haydn intended The Seven Last Words to be easily understood by a wide public, believing that "even the most naive listener will be deeply moved."
If Haydn thought the commission from Cadiz was unusual, the payment of the commissioning fee would prove to be even more peculiar. The canon of the church in Cadiz sent the composer a small package containing what appeared to be nothing more than a chocolate cake. Annoyed and disap?pointed, Haydn cut into the cake only to find that it had been filled with gold coins!
Shortly after The Seven Last Words was performed in Cadiz (music historians are not certain whether this took place in 1786 or 1787), Haydn published a version for string quartet--the only quartet writing he undertook between 1781 and 1787--and gave his imprimatur to an arrangement for piano by his publisher. In 1794, while on the way to London, Haydn stopped in Passau and heard a performance of a new choral arrangement of his Seven Last Words made by Joseph Friebert. Haydn liked the idea of
setting texts to the music (which, of course, had already been partially conceived with a "vocal" melody in mind), but thought it could be done better. While in London, Haydn heard performances of Handel's oratorios, and through that experience was motivated to revise his Seven Last Words as an oratorio. He worked with Baron von Swieten on drafting a suitable text and added choral and solo parts to the orchestral score. Haydn's choral version of The Seven Last Words was first performed in 1796.
The oratorio version of The Seven Last Words was the last piece Haydn ever conduct?ed in public (in 1803), and he considered the choral version superior to the original instru?mental work. Curiously, however, it was the string quartet arrangement that became the most popular during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The work was per?formed and known almost exclusively in that chamber medium for many decades. Although the quartet obviously lacks the depth of string sound and variety of timbre of an orchestra, having only one instrument per part gives the work a heightened intimacy and an intensification of expression. Relying as it does so heavily on variety of expression and depth of communicative feeling, The Seven Last Words is widely regarded as one of the most musically challenging pieces in the quartet repertoire.
Each of the nine sections in this work (the seven "Words" framed by an introduc?tion and finale) is in sonata form. Haydn scholar H. C. Robbins Landon writes that although each "sonata" has its own thematic material, there are motivic connections that unify the seven central movements, such as a recurrent falling third motif, dotted-rhyth-mic figures, and melodic appoggiaturas. This unity also serves to make the final represen?tation of the earthquake so disruptive and distinct, as it uses completely unrelated motifs from the earlier sections.
The "Introduction" sets the emotional
tone for a Holy Week service: dramatic, anguished, and in the minor mode. By con?trast, the first sonata ("Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do") is remark?ably tender and lyrical, reverting to the major mode for its expression of the godly qualities of mercy and forgiveness. A pulsing bass line is often intended as a musical symbol of life; here it is used to poignant effect in a context of personal sacrifice and imminent death. The second sonata ("Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in par?adise") is a cantata-like aria that harks back to the sacred styles of Bach and Handel, yet the string quartet medium is clearly a Classical trait. The third sonata ("Woman, behold thy son") revisits the restraint and tenderness of the first as it also illustrates a message of mercy. The minor mode returns again in the anguished cry of the fourth sonata ("My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me"). This section is more instru-mentally conceived, less aria-like, with the implicit pain and dissonance intensified in the smaller ensemble.
The text for the fifth sonata--"I thirst" -is Christ's only concession to physical dis?comfort while on the cross. The humble request is represented exquisitely and simply by a two-note theme, played out over pizzicato accompaniment that is again instrumentally conceived and developed. The sixth sonata ("It is done") returns to the minor mode for a dramatic narrative that suggests finality. The opening unison melody is derived from the bass line of a perfect authentic cadence, the quintessential musical motif of conclu?sion. The benedictory seventh sonata ("Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit") is a lyrical combination of resignation and joy. The pulsing bass line that opened the first sonata returns here, denoting the belief that while the body may die, it is the spirit that continues to live.
The disturbing finale represents pro-grammatically the earthquake the followed
Christ's death on the cross. In liturgical per?formances such as the premiere in Cadiz, the sole remaining lamp in the church would be extinguished at the conclusion, plunging the church into total darkness. This finale must have been especially unset?tling for early audiences. Many at the pre?miere would have recalled the devastating earthquake that destroyed Lisbon and wreaked havoc across the Iberian Peninsula in 1755. Musically, the audacious cross rhythms and persistent hemiolas create an extraordinary level of metric disturbance, against which a literally groundless series of displaced motifs are fragmented. The move?ment ends with the unprecedented dynamic marking of fffifortississimo).
Program note by Luke Howard.
Mark Strand was born on Canada's Prince Edward Island in 1934, and was raised and educated in the US and South America. He is the author of ten books of poems, including Blizzard of One (Alfred A. Knopf, 1998), which won the Pulitzer Prize; Dark Harbor (1993); The Continuous Life (1990); Selected Poems (1980); The Story of Our Lives (1973); and Reasons for Moving (1968). He has also published two books of prose, several volumes of translation (of works by Rafael Alberti and Carlos Drummond de Andrade, among oth?ers), several monographs on contemporary artists, and three books for children. He has edited a number of volumes, including The Golden Ecco Anthology (1994), The Best American Poetry 1991, and Another Republic: 17 European and South American Writers (with Charles Simic, 1976). His honors include the Bollingen Prize, three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a National Institute of Arts and Letters
Award, the Edgar Allen Poe Prize, and a Rockefeller Foundation award, as well as fellowships from The Academy of American Poets, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Ingram Merrill Foundation. He has served as Poet Laureate of the United States and is a former Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets. He currently teaches in the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago.
This afternoon's performance marks Mark Strand's UMS debut.
Since its inception in 1992, the Brentano String Quartet has been singled out for their technical bril?liance, musical insight and stylistic elegance. Within a year's time, the Brentano String Quartet claimed the dis?tinction of being named to three major awards, winning the first Cleveland String Quartet Award, the 1995 Naumburg
Chamber Music Award and the tenth Annual Martin E. Segal Award. For their first appearance in Great Britain at Wigmore Hall, the Brentano was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for the most outstanding chamber music debut in 1997. The Quartet became the inaugural quartet in residence at Princeton University in 1999, and has been in residence at New York University since 1995. They were chosen by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 1995 to participate in the inaugural season of Chamber Music Society Two, a program designed for outstanding emerging artists and chamber musicians. They have also been Quartet-in-Residence at Wigmore Hall in London. The Quartet has appeared with pianist Mitsuko Uchida at the Concertge-bouw in Amsterdam, at the Library of Congress and at Lincoln Center, and collab?orated with Jessye Norman in her 1998 Carnegie Hall and 1999 Salzburg Festival recitals. In the fall of 1998, the Brentano String Quartet performed to great acclaim in various venues across Australia, including the prestigious Sydney Opera House, and were featured in a Live From Lincoln Center telecast.
The Brentano String Quartet has made appearances in the major musical centers in North America including Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pittsburgh's Frick Museum, La Jolla Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Society of Detroit, University Musical Society of the University of Michigan, the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, and venues in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Houston, New Orleans, Kansas City, and Boston. During the 20002001 sea?son, the Quartet appeared in Europe at the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and in Frankfurt Cologne and Milan. The Brentano String Quartet maintains a continuing relationship with Carnegie Hall where they will perform
numerous times in the coming seasons.
The Brentano's summer festival appear?ances have included the Festival De Divonne in France, Chamber Music Northwest, the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, Chautauqua, Caramoor International Music Festival, the Taos School of Music and the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival. The Quartet is named after Antonie Brentano, whom many scholars believe to have been Beethoven's mysterious "Immortal Beloved," and to whom he wrote his famous love confession.
They maintain a strong interest in the music of our time and have had several
works written for them, including Milton Babbitt's String Quartet No. 6, Charles Wuorinen's Quartet No. 4, Chou Wen-Chung's Clouds, and two quartets by Bruce Adolphe. Upcoming new music projects include a recording of the music of Steven Mackey, and a performance project that portrays reflections by several contemporary composers on J.S. Bach's Art of the Fugue.
This afternoon's performance marks the Brentano String Quartet's second appearance under UMS auspices.
UMS
presents
Michigan Chamber Players
Faculty Artists of the University of Michigan School of Music
Lynne Aspnes, Harp Richard Beene, Bassoon Erling Blondal-Bengtsson, Cello William Campbell, Trumpet Deborah Chodacki, Clarinet Diana Gannett, Bass David Jackson, Trombone Paul Kantor, Violin Amy Porter, Flute Stephen Shipps, Violin Michael Udow, Percussion
Program
Sunday Afternoon, January 20, 2002 at 4:00 Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Jacques Ibert
Maurice Ravel
Two Interludes (from Le Burlador) for Flute, Violin, and Harp
Aspnes, Porter, Shipps Sonata for Violin and Cello
Blondal-Bengtsson, Kantor
INTERMISSION
Igor Stravinsky
Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale)
Beene, Campbell, Chodacki, Gannett, Jackson, Kantor, Udow
Thirty-first Performance of the 123rd Season
The photographing or sound recording of this concert or possession of any device for such pho?tographing or sound recording is prohibited.
Thanks to all of the U-M School of Music Faculty Artists for their ongoing commitment of time and energy to this special UMS performance.
Large print programs are available upon request.
Two Interludes (from Le Burlador) for Flute, Violin, and Harp
Jacques Ibert
Born August 15, 1890 in Paris Died February 5, 1962 in Paris
Few would rank Jacques Ibert among the "top tier" of important French composers of the twentieth century, but he was clearly one the most successful, and certainly one of the most respected. His music was simply too audience-friendly to attract the attention of the modernists at a time when modernism and innovation were equated with impor?tance. Ibert's mother was a gifted pianist, and her playing of Chopin, Bach, and Mozart distinctly influenced her son's musi?cal preferences. After lessons on piano and violin, he decided on a career in composition, but had to support himself by accompany?ing singers, giving lessons, and writing program notes. Later he became a cinema pianist and began writing songs in the pop?ular style, all these experiences instilling in him a proclivity for emotional immediacy and clarity of expression in his music.
Although not a member of "Les Six," Ibert was certainly sympathetic with that group. He had developed a friendly associa?tion with Milhaud and Honneger while studying at the Paris Conservatoire just before World War I, and would later work with Auric after the war. In some respects his musical philosophy resembles Poulenc's: a preference for classical form and balance, harmonies that are essentially triadic if not completely tonal, and an unabashed gift for melody. But Ibert enjoyed a degree of recog?nition and early success that sent his career along a different path from his colleagues. He won the Prix de Rome on his first attempt in 1919, and from that time on was active within the traditional institutions of French music and culture.
Alexandra Laederich writes regarding Ibert's musical style: "Neither atonal nor serial, and very rarely polytonal, all the ele?ments of his musical language bar that of harmony relate closely to the Classical tradi?tion." Ibert's harmonies tend to be based on stacked thirds and altered-note chords, while retaining cadential formulas that give his music a strong sense of tonal basis.
Ibert excelled in the dramatic genres of ballet, opera, and incidental music, and it is perhaps in his incidental music that he is most conservative. His last example of inci?dental music, composed in 1946, was for Le Burlador, a play by the Belgian playwright Suzanne Lilar (1901-1992), in which the Don Juan legend is given a more sympathetic spin. Rather than being just an amoral rogue, the Don is portrayed in Lilar's play as a victim of his own heart.
The two interludes Ibert extracted from the incidental music to Le Burlador are some of the most popular and most performed of his works for small ensemble. The first is a lyrical and meditative development of a sin?gle theme. It has the aroma of a past era, in keeping with the subject matter of the play it accompanied, in an instrumentation that suggests, perhaps, an eighteenth-century piece by Rameau, but it is a past that is reworked and updated in the manner of Ravel or Poulenc. The second interlude bris?tles with fiery passion and energy. The harp imitates the Spanish flamenco guitar in this dance-based movement that is full of rustic vigor and dramatic tension. The use of alternating majorminor triads and exotic scales create a stereotypically Iberian sound-scape that acts as a fitting backdrop to the Don Juan legend.
Sonata for Violin and Cello
Maurice Ravel
Born March 7,1875 in Ciboure, Basses-Pyrenees Died December 28, 1937 in Paris
While clearly a master orchestrator and exceptionally gifted writer for solo instru?ments, Maurice Ravel was not prolific in crafting works for small ensembles, compos?ing only eight chamber pieces in his entire career. The chamber genres seem to have presented him with especially challenging compositional issues that, for the most part, he preferred to avoid. His Sonata for Violin and Cello, composed between 1920 and 1922, began as a single-movement "Duo for Violin and Cello," which suggests that it might be modeled on Mozart's Duo Sonatas for Violin and Viola. But while Mozart (whom Ravel idolized) creates a sense of symphonic scope with only two string instruments, Ravel takes the challenge of lean, linear writing head-on. Rather than trying to make two instruments sound like twenty, the issue for Ravel here was to make two instruments sound like two instruments, and a create a coherent and interesting work in which richness of texture and full harmony have little or no place.
Dedicated to the memory of Debussy, the original one-movement "Duo" appeared in a collection of pieces by several composers (including, among others, Bartok, Dukas, Falla, Satie, and Stravinsky) published by Henri Prunieres in La Revue musicale in December 1920 under the title he Tombeau de Debussy. All of these works were first per?formed at a special concert the following month. In the early summer of 1921, Ravel began writing three more movements for violin and cello, developing some of the themes heard in the Duo. His preparation of the score was meticulous and carefully considered. In 1922 he scrapped a scherzo movement that he had already completed
simply because he wasn't satisfied with it.
According to the composer, this work marks a turning point in his musical style. He wrote: "Economy of means is here carried to its extreme limits; there are no harmonies to please the ear, only a pronounced reaction in favor of melody." The absence of harmonic color was somewhat new in Ravel's oeuvre, and the new, leaner approach was not popu?lar with the audience at the premiere. Part the reason may have been because the per?formers on that occasion thought the work too difficult, and the composer was not present. The violinist, Helene Jourdan-Morhange, complained that Ravel expected the soloists to "play the flute on the violin and the drum on the cello." Ravel jokingly retorted that if she found the violin part too difficult she "might want to profit by my absence by playing in unison with the cello." Yet Jourdan-Morhange was right about one thing--Charles Rosen has also suggested that one of Ravel's gifts as a composer is that he can make an instrument "sound unlike itself so effortlessly." Still, Ravel's friend and biographer Roland-Manuel noted that work was likely to be problematic for performers and audiences. He wrote, "This remarkable sonata, bristling with virtuosity and a lyricism which spits like an angry cat, is one of the most significant-and least flattering--works in Ravel's new manner." Eventually the work was pro?grammed more often, and championed by such luminaries as Grigor Piatogorski and Josef Szigeti, who played it on their "piano-less" recitals.
The first movement retains the classically balanced proportions of a sonata-allegro movement. The alternation of major and minor thirds becomes an important themat?ic motif, heard not only at the start here but also in each of the ensuing movements as well. Later the cello introduces a series of melodic major sevenths in the cello, a motif that also unifies the entire work.
In the second movement scherzo, it is not melody but instrumental effects that predominate: percussive timbres and ener?gized rhythmic patterns. The alternation of arco and pizzicato playing creates a tension that is enhanced by trills and harmonics. Sudden unexpected accents that give the movement much of its dramatic character, while a slower section near the end provides variety (but not a true reprieve) from the forward rush.
The lyrical third movement begins with a cello melody that is soon taken up by the violin. After a stormy middle section the main melody returns muted. The rondo finale that concludes the Sonata shows Ravel at his most experimental. The textural vari?ety, mercurial themes, passages of close canonic imitation, and variety of playing techniques make this a most curious move?ment. Much of the melodic material in the episodes is almost atonal--the last of the three episodes in this rondo, for example, includes a melody in which the cello almost completes a twelve-tone row. These quasi-atonal passages may have been directly inspired by Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, which Ravel heard in January 1922 while he was writing this sonata.
Program notes by Luke Howard.
Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale)
Igor Stravinsky
Born on June 17, 1882 in St. Petersburg, Russia Died on April 6, 1971 in New York
After soaring to international fame in 1910 with The Firebird, Igor Stravinsky became a citizen of the world, living in Switzerland during the autumn and winter months, returning to Russia for the summers, and descending on Paris to oversee the produc?tions of Petrushka, The Rite of Spring and
Le Rossignol. With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, however, his travel was restricted, and he settled full-time in Switzerland, near Lausanne, where he remained until moving to France in 1920. Among his closest friends during the War was Ernest Ansermet, then conductor of the symphony concerts in Geneva and founder (in 1918) of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in that city, who introduced him to the Swiss novelist and poet Charles Ferdinand Ramuz late in 1915. Stravinsky invited Ramuz to help prepare French ver?sions of the Russian texts for Reynard and Les Noces, and the collaboration went so well that they agreed to undertake a new joint project in 1917. Given the difficulty of theater production during the War, they realized that only a very small company could be assembled, perhaps one which could play in almost any hall and easily tour Switzerland. Ramuz, not being a dramatist, suggested that he write a story which could be presented on stage as a kind of acted nar?ration, something "to be read, played and danced." It was agreed that Stravinsky's music would be an accompaniment to the action, arranged so that it could be performed either on stage or independently in concert. For a subject, they settled on a story from a collection of Russian tales compiled by Alexander Afanasiev which concerned, according to Stravinsky, "a Soldier who tricks the Devil into drinking too much vodka. He then gives the Devil a handful of shot to eat, assuring him it is caviar, and the Devil greedily swallows it and dies." Stravinsky and Ramuz incorporated other episodes from Afanasiev's stories into their scenario, notably one which featured a "Soldier who deserts and the wily Devil who infallibly comes to claim his soul." A Narrator would tell the following Soldier's Tale while performers portraying the characters danced and mimed to Stravinsky's music:
A Soldier, granted ten days leave, marches home to his family's village. He rests along the way, takes out his fiddle, and plays. The Devil, disguised as an old man with a butterfly net, persuades the Soldier to trade his fiddle for a magic book. He invites the Soldier to spend two days of his leave with him, when he will show him how to earn immense wealth from the book. Arriving at his village after their encounter, the Soldier discovers that not two days but twenty years have passed. He tries to console himself with the wealth obtained through the book, but can find no peace, and wanders into another kingdom. The Princess of the land is ill, and the King has promised her hand in marriage to anyone who can cure her. The Soldier determines to try. The Devil appears, playing the Soldier's violin. The Soldier challenges him to a game of cards. The Soldier loses his wealth to the Devil, whose power over him is thus ended. When the Devil collapses, the Soldier reclaims his violin, and plays the Princess back to health. She dances a tango, a waltz and a ragtime. The Devil reappears, the Soldier fiddles him into contortions, and the Soldier and the Princess drag his body into the wings. The Devil swears vengeance. Some years after his marriage, the Soldier wants to visit his village. The Narrator counsels him not to seek the old, lost happiness of his youth now that he has found married happiness in a new home with the Princess. Refusing the advice, the Soldier set outs. When he crosses the frontier, however, he again falls under the mastery of the Devil, who takes his violin and leads him away, powerless to resist.
The Soldier's Tale signaled an important change in Stravinsky's musical style, away from the orchestral opulence of the early ballets toward a more economical, neo?classical, international manner of expres?sion. He later explained,
My choice of instruments was influenced by a very important event in my life at that time, the discovery of American jazz.... The Histoire ensemble resembles the jazz band in that each instrumental category--strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion--is represent?ed by both bass and treble components. The instruments themselves are jazz legitimates, too, except the bassoon, which is my substi?tution for the saxophone.... The percussion part must also be considered as a manifesta?tion of my enthusiasm for jazz. I purchased the instruments from a music shop in Lausanne, learning to play them myself as I composed. To bang a gong, bash a cymbal, clout a woodblock (or a critic) has always given me the keenest satisfaction.... My knowledge of jazz was derived exclusively from copies of sheet music [brought back from America by the conductor Ernest Ansermet]. As I had never actually heard any of the music performed, I borrowed its rhythmic style not as played, but as written. I could imagine jazz sound, however, or so I liked to think. Jazz meant, in any case, a wholly new sound in my music, and Histoire marks my final break with the Russian orchestral school in which I had been fostered.
The most obvious evidence of the influ?ence of jazz and modern dance styles on the work are the "Tango" and "Ragtime" danced by the Princess. (Stravinsky so liked the rag idiom that he wrote an independent Ragtime for Eleven Instruments as soon as he had fin?ished the score for Histoire.) Concerning the dramatic use of his instrumental ensemble, Stravinsky noted, "If every good piece of music is marked by its own characteristic sound, then the characteristic sounds of Histoire are the scrape of the violin and the punctuation of the drums. The violin is the Soldier's soul and the drums are the diablerie"
Program note O Dr. Richard E. Rodda.
Lynne Aspnes, DMA, maintains an active schedule as performer. With the Plymouth Music Series of Minnesota, she has recorded on the CRI, ProArte, RCA Red Seal and Virgin Classics labels. With organist John Walker and the choir of Riverside Church in New York City, Ms. Aspnes has recorded for the Pro Organo label. She has also made recordings for NPR and PBS. Active in the American Harp Society, she was a director of its Concert Artist Program, has served on its Executive Committee and Board of Directors, was National Conference Chairman three times, and is a frequent con?tributor to The American Harp Journal. She studied at the University of Minnesota, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Manhattan School of Music, and currently serves as Associate Dean (for academic affairs) at the University of Michigan School of Music.
This afternoon's concert marks Lynne Aspnes' fourth appearance under UMS auspices.
Richard Beene, MMus, is active as an orchestral player, soloist, chamber musician, and educator. He performs as principal bassoonist with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, where he has also appeared numerous times as a soloist. He toured Europe in 1991 as solo bassoonist with the American Sinfonietta and toured Japan the following year as a featured soloist with the Colorado Music Festival. In 1994 he performed as a soloist at the Festival de Musique de St. Barthelemy in the French West Indies. Chamber music and recital engagements have taken him to New York's Merkin Concert Hall and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, as well as Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria. He has been a featured recitalist at the annual con?vention of the International Double Reed Society. Summer festival engagements have included the Sunflower Music Festival in Kansas, the Basically Bach Festival in Anchorage, the Colorado Music Festival, the Arkansas Music Festival, Pennsyl?vania's Allegheny Music Festival, Washington's Centram Chamber Music Festival, and the Bellingham Festival of Music. He holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Baylor University and has served previously on the fac?ulties of Michigan State University and Wichita State University.
This afternoon's concert marks Richard Beene's tenth appearance under UMS auspices.
Erling Blondal-Bengtsson came to Michigan following a distinguished teaching and perform?ing career in Europe. He began cello studies at age three with his father in Copenhagen and subsequently became a student of Gregor Piatigorsky at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he joined the faculty immediately upon graduation. He later returned to his native Denmark as professor at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, serving for thirty-seven years. Mr. Bengtsson made his first concert appearance at age four and debuted as orchestral soloist at ten years of age. Since then he has enjoyed a busy schedule as recitalist and soloist with ensembles including the Royal Philharmonic, the BBC, English Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra (Lisbon) and Czech Philharmonic, and the orchestras of Baden-Baden, Brussels, Cologne, and Copenhagen. He has made more than fifty recordings, including highly praised perfor?mances of the complete Bach Cello Suites, and the Beethoven and Brahms Sonatas. In 1998, his recording of the Kodaly solo Sonata was chosen by the Guinness Classical 1000 as among the top thousand recordings of all time. In 1993, in recognition of his universal contributions to the art and teaching of cello playing, he was award?ed the title of Chevalier du Violoncelle by the Eva Janzer Memorial Cello Center of the School of Music of Indiana University.
This afternoon's concert marks Erling Blondal-Bengtsson's eleventh appearance under UMS auspices.
William Campbell, MMus, joined the U-M faculty in the fall of 2000 after serving on the faculties at Ohio State University and the University of Kansas. While at Ohio State University, Professor Campbell was awarded the "Outstanding Professor Award" by the Sphinx Mortar Board. Prior to his positions as Trumpet Professor, Mr. Campbell performed for seven years as principal trumpet with the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence Italy, conducted by Zubin Mehta. In addition to the orchestra in Florence, he performed as prin?cipal trumpet with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the Rochester Philhar-monic Orchestra. Mr. Campbell has performed with such conductors as George
Solti, Ricardo Chailly, Charles Dutoit, Christopher Hogwood, Leonard Slatkin, and Carlo Maria Giulini. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees and a performer's certificate in trumpet from the Eastman School of Music, where he was a soloist with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, conducted by Donald Hunsburger. Professor Campbell has recently been honored by the Selmer Corporation by being named a Bach Artist.
This afternoon's concert marks William Campbell's second appearance under UMS auspices.
Deborah Chodacki, MMus, joined the U-M faculty in 1993. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Northwestern University. Her clarinet studies were with Stanley Hasty and Robert Marcellus. Ms. Chodacki has performed in chamber music festivals, in orchestras, and as soloist with orchestras in the US and Western Europe, including the North Carolina and Grand Rapids Symphonies, Colorado Philharmonic, American Chamber Symphony, Traverse Symphony Orchestra, Skaneateles and Spoleto Festivals, and Monterey Summer Music. Prior to her appointment at the University of Michigan, she taught at the Interlochen Arts Academy, and from 1979 to 1989 she was on the faculty of the East Carolina University School of Music.
This afternoon's concert marks Doborah Chodacki's eighth appearance under UMS auspices.
Diana Gannett joined the School of Music fac?ulty in fall 2001 as a Professor of Music in the Strings Department, specializing in string bass. She has spent most of her professional life on the east coast as teacher and performer. As a chamber musician she has performed with the artists of the Guarneri, Emerson, Laurentian and Stanford Quartets and the Borodin Trio, as well as with the Iowa Center for New Music, American Chamber Players, New Band, and the Oberlin Dance Collective. Previous appointments include the faculties of Yale University School of Music and Hartt School of Music in Connecticut, Oberlin College Conservatory in Ohio, University of Iowa School of Music and the University of South Florida. Professor Gannett is Past President of the International Society of Bassists and hosted the 1999 convention at the University of Iowa.
This afternoon's concert marks Diana Gannett's second appearance under UMS auspices.
David Jackson, MMus, is a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician who has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, New World Symphony, Cabrillo Music Festival Orchestra and the Spoleto, Italy Festival Orchestra. He is an advocate of new music and has commissioned and performed the premieres of eight works for trombone. His chamber music experience includes performances with the Canadian Brass, American Brass Quintet, Nexus Percussion Ensemble and the Galliard Brass Ensemble. His summers are spent teaching and performing at the Hot Springs Music Festival and the Interlochen Arts Camp All-State Division. He has served on the faculties of Baylor University, Eastern Michigan University and University of Toledo. Mr. Jackson received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Michigan.
This afternoon's concert marks David Jackson's second appearance under UMS auspices.
Paul Kantor is the Chair of the U-M School of Music String Department and has appeared as a concerto soloist with a dozen symphony orches?tras; has served as concertmaster of several orchestral ensembles including the New Haven Symphony, Aspen Chamber Symphony, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, and Great Lakes Festival Orchestra; and has been guest concertmaster of the New Japan Philharmonic and Toledo Symphony Orchestra. He has been especially active as a chamber musician with such groups as the New York String Quartet, the Berkshire Chamber Players, the Lenox Quartet and the National Musical Arts Chamber Ensemble. His performances of the music of Bartok, Pearle, and Zwilich may be heard on the CRI, Delos, and Mark Records labels. Mr. Kantor held con?current appointments at Yale University (1981-88), the New England Conservatory (1984-88) and Juilliard (1985-88). Since 1980 he has spent summers as a member of the artist-faculty at Aspen, where he was concertmaster of both the Chamber Symphony and the Festival Orchestra. Mr. Kantor attended The Juilliard School, where he earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees and studied during the summers at both Aspen and Meadowmount. His principal teachers are Margaret Graves, Dorothy DeLay and Robert Mann.
This afternoon's concert marks Paul Kantor's twelfth appearance under UMS auspices.
Maintaining a wide and varied career as concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, Amy Porter has amassed an array of awards and was appointed Associate Professor of Flute at the University of Michigan in 1999 after eight years as Associate Principal Flute in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. In April 2001, Ms. Porter won the Deuxieme Prix at the ParisVille d'Avray International Flute Competition. She was also awarded the "Special Prize" for best performance of the commissioned work required at the competition. Honors also include "First Prize" at the 1990 National Flute Association Competition and at the Ima Hogg Competition, which led to an appearance as guest soloist with the Houston Symphony. Ms. Porter has toured Japan and Southeast Asia as concerto soloist with the New York Symphonic Ensemble, along with performances at the Kennedy Center and Yale University. She made her New York debut in 1987 appearing in recital at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. She has also been featured on the cover of Flute Talk magazine and highlighted on PBS' Live from Lincoln Center, Juilliard at Eighty. Ms. Porter can be heard on the CBS Masterworks recording of Bach on Wood and the Atlanta Chamber Player's ACA Digital Recordings, Conversations and Soiree Sweets.
This afternoon's concert marks Amy Porter's fourth appearance under UMS auspices.
Stephen Shipps, MMus, studied violin with Josef Gingold at Indiana University. He is a member of the Meadowmount Trio and a past member of the Fine Arts Quartet, and Amadeus Trio. Mr. Shipss has appeared as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Indianapolis, Dallas, Omaha, Seattle and Ann Arbor, as well as the Piedmont Chamber Orchestra and the Madiera Bach Festival. He has been a member of the Cleveland Orchestra, associate concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony and concertmaster of the Dallas Opera, concertmaster and associate con?ductor of the Omaha Symphony and the Nebraska Sinfonia, and guest concertmaster for the Seattle and Toledo symphony orchestras. Mr. Shipps has recorded for American Gramophone, Bay Cities, NPR, RIAS Berlin, Hessiche Rundfunk of Frankfurt, Melodiya Russian Disc and Moscow Radio. His work on the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums has yielded a dozen gold and two platinum
records. He has adjudicated major national and international competitions for almost two decades and is director of the American String Teachers Association National Solo Competition. Prior to joining the faculty in 1989 he served on the faculties of Indiana University, the North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Banff Centre in Canada.
This afternoon's concert marks Stephen Shipps' twelvth appearance under UMS auspices.
Michael Udow, DMA, has been the principal percussionist with the Santa Fe Opera since 1968 and a Michigan faculty member since 1982. He is a member of the Summit Brass and tours with the dancepercussion duo Equilibrium. Mr. Udow performs with marimba virtuoso Keiko Abe in diverse chamber music settings in both Japan and the US. As a solo per?cussionist, he performed the roles of the DrummerMadman in the American premiere of Hans Werner Henze's We Come to the River for the Santa Fe Opera as well as the gypsy soloist in Sante Fe's production of Countess Maritza. Mr. Udow was soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic in the world premiere of David Felder's Between for Solo Percussion and Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist at Paris's Dragon Center, Amsterdam's Stedliejk Museum, Tokyo's Interlink Festival, Diissledorf's Rhine Music Festival, Salzburg's Aspekte Festival, England's Dartington Dance Festival, and Tubingen's International Percussion Days. Mr. Udow has received grants from the Michigan Arts Alliance and the Michigan Council for the Arts. As performer and composer, Mr. Udow can be heard on the Columbia, ColumbiaDenon, Forte Music, Advance, Opus One, CRI, Orion, New World, EQ and Einstein labels. Under his guidance, the University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble has performed at Lincoln Center and Merkin Hall; Tokyo's Seimei Hall with Pro Musica Nipponia; the National Concert Hall of Taiwan for the inaugural Taiwan International Percussion Festival; a three-week tour of Japan with Keiko Abe; and the Toyama Japan Festival.
This afternoon's concert marks Michael Udow's fourth appearance under UMS auspices.