Discover, Eat, Chat, Mingle: UMS' Arts & Eats

By Rob Vuichard

If you happened to be at Saturday's Kirov Orchestra Arts and Eats Event, you may have noticed that a lot of people showed up - just like you! Close to 350 tickets were sold to Saturday's event, and an astounding 95 pizzas were ordered! If you aren't familiar with UMS's Arts and Eats, you should consider coming to one of the fun, monthly events. If your idea of a weekend outing includes friends, food, learning and good music, dance or theater, Arts and Eats is a really great deal if you're on a student budget!

For $12 dollars, (up to a 60% savings) any student can purchase a ticket to any of the A&E events. That ticket will grant you access to a private pizza gathering that begins an hour to an hour and a half before the night's big event. Students mingle, catch up or chat about the performance they've come to see. Central to the Arts & Eats event, is a guest speaker who gives attendees a scholarly, but informative talk on the music, composer or the group performing. The 10-15 minute presentation given by School of Music Doctoral student Nathan Platte was really helpful considering the Kirov Orchestra’s serious program of Russian symphonic music.

If you're a new student, friendless for an evening, or unsure of what would be a good event to see, consider attending Arts and Eats, and take a chance on a composer, group or performance you might not be familiar with! For only $12 dollars you get a great seat and free pizza – how could you go wrong? The next UMS Arts & Eats event is Jonathan Biss, piano - Sat. November 18, 8 pm in Hill Auditorium. Tickets for Jonanthan Biss' Arts & Eats Event go to: www.arts.umich.edu/ums/

For more information on Arts & Eats and UMS’s student ticket programs, go to:
http://www.ums.org/students

Tickets go on sale approximately two weeks before the concert. For more information, call 734-764-2538.

In Anticipation: Shostakovich, Valery Gergiev, and the Kirov

by NATHAN PLATTE
Graduate Student Instructor Dept. of Musicology, U of Michigan School of Music

I first saw the Kirov Orchestra perform at Hill Auditorium in 1998. A Tchaikovsky enthusiast, I was attracted by the program (the complete ballet score of The Nutcracker); I did not recognize the orchestra. Considering that The Nutcracker is piped annually from TVs and motorized Santa Clauses from October through December, it is a sad fact that the music is frequently performed and heard indifferently. This particular evening, however, was well outside the norm. Orchestral textures sparkled freshly, the famous melodies spun with intoxicating swiftness, and the pas de deux became the most breathtakingly beautiful five minutes of music ever. Above all, Valery Gergiev’s conducting and the orchestra’s rich sound was unlike anything I had seen or heard before.

Since then, I have gone to every Kirov performance in the Ann Arbor area (not to mention a road trip to D.C.) and have enjoyed more than several nights of incredible music, consistently performed to the hilt. Time and time again, it is the orchestra’s unique sound that impresses me. Writers often describe world-class orchestras’ sonorities as “transparent,” “lucid,” and “meticulously balanced,” like a “well-oiled machine.” None of these words effectively capture the Kirov’s appeal; I prefer to liken their sound to an irresistible and visceral natural phenomenon. Niagara Falls and thunder storms come first to mind as I recall the orchestra’s sound gushing and gusting forth, billowing out into the hall…

Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra return to Ann Arbor this weekend for the second half of their Shostakovich Centennial Festival. This particular visit includes six Shostakovich symphonies performed across three concerts. Each night features two symphonies that together reflect the musical breadth and depth of the composer. Performed on Friday and Saturday respectively, Symphonies 11 and 12 are commemorative works—written in memoriam of the birth pangs of communism in Russia. Symphony 11 depicts the 1905 Bloody Sunday Massacre in which Imperial guards in St. Petersburg opened fire upon a peaceful workers’ protest. Symphony 12 is a musical monument to the 1917 October Revolution. As their subject matter suggests, these works are intensely programmatic (one might even liken them to film scores). Symphonies 6 (Friday) and 8 (Sunday) are not dedicated to specific events, but reflect the social and cultural context out of which they were born during World War II. Symphony 8 is especially vivid and disturbing, at one point reenacting a military invasion through orchestral artillery explosions and screams. In Symphonies 13 and 14, Shostakovich turns to poetry of a potent and tragic nature. Symphony 13, which includes the text of Yevgeny Yevtushenko’s “Babi Yar,” memorializes the German massacre of Jews in Kiev while simultaneously criticizing the anti-Semitism rife in Soviet society. Symphony 14, perhaps the oddest Shostakovich symphony of all, sets a series of “death” poems by various authors to music that is alternately morose, blackly ironic, and strange. Taken together, the three concerts present a rich panorama of Shostakovich’s works, offering fascinating music played by St. Petersburg’s premiere conductor and orchestra: Valery Gergiev and the Kirov.

UMS Releases Limited Number of RSC Tickets to General Public

Did you hear about the RSC Student Ticket Sale last Saturday, September 30? Were you one of the brave souls that came out in the rain? Did you wait in line for hours and even then not get a ticket?? (Read below!) We estimate that there were over 700 people in line -- the first person arrived at 4:45 pm Friday (16+ hours before the sale!). It was wonderful to see so much interest in the RSC from the student community.

While there are no more student tickets available, UMS is pleased to announce that a limited number of full-price tickets for selected performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, October 10 at 9 am.

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Michigan League Ticket Office or by phone (734-764-2538 or 800-221-1229). Tickets will not be available over the internet. Tickets will be available for all three titles and range in price from $40 to $150. UMS can accept cash, check, or any major credit card for purchase.

If you were unable to purchase a student ticket through the RSC Student Ticket Sale but are still interested in seeing the RSC, here's your chance! UMS will also start a waitlist at the Power Center Box Office 90 minutes before each RSC performance (full-priced tickets only).

All students are invited to take advantage of the many free educational events surrounding the RSC residency:

Royal Shakespeare Company Educational Event Listing [PDF]

RSC Student Ticket Sale: In The Pouring Rain!!!

If you happened to pass by the corners of Fletcher and Huron by car this past Saturday morning, you might have wondered why so many people were lined up in the cold, damp rain. The event, which brought nearly 800 students to the Power Center was none other than the Royal Shakespeare Company Student Ticket Sale!

Umbrellas, scarves, socks, winter coats, hats and mittens and even tents adorned Fletcher Street this past Saturday morning as students assembled to purchase what remained of the coveted RSC/UMS residency tickets. At the front of the line were many brave students who showed up to purchase tickets Friday evening -- the first person in line got there 16.5 hours before the sale even started! Taking on the night, roughly 100 students camped outdoors in a huddled mass of tents and blankets to be some of the first students from the University to receive tickets to one, two or all of the Shakespeare productions.

The Royal Shakespeare Company will visit the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for a three week residency in October - November 2006 with Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and The Tempest. The plays are part of the RSC's year-long Complete Works Festival, which runs in Stratford-upon-Avon from April 2006 - 2007. Ann Arbor is the only city in the United States to host these plays.

Of the more than two thousand tickets set aside for students during the residency, many of the tickets were used in conjunction with Univesity classes designed around the residency with the RSC. When doors opened, students were allowed to purchase up to three tickets per student ID; one ticket per RSC title. Unfortunately not everyone in line was able to purchase a ticket, but it was truly amazing to see the overwhelming support from students who showed up! If you did not receive tickets during the student ticket sale, but are very serious about seeing a show, contact the UMS Ticket Office at 734-764-2538 and make sure they have your information on file. While there are no more student tickets available, if full-price tickets become available, the UMS Ticket Office will send out an email with information on how and when to purchase those tickets.

The RSC Residency runs in Ann Arbor at The Power Center Auditorium from Oct. 24th - Nov. 12th. For more information visit www.ums.org

All students are welcome to participate in the many free educational events as part of the RSC Residency. More info: www.ums.org/education

More pictures from the RSC Student Ticket Sale: http://umichigan.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118977&id=2261151

By Rob Vuichard

Emerson String Quartet: Return of an Ann Arbor Tradition

By Rob Vuichard
By the time the final thundering chord of Brahm's first Piano Quartet disappeared into the air of Rackham Auditorium, the audience was already on its feet. The standing ovation for the Emerson String Quartet was of course, no accident. The sprawling audience enveloped the proscenium stage from every angle, loudly proclaiming the excellence of the performance. The humble bows of the four onstage musicians were elegant and unapologetic, because no matter where they go, their artistry is felt and adored by their many fans.

The Emerson String Quartet is one of the world's foremost chamber ensembles and has amassed an impressive list of achievements: a brilliant series of recordings exclusively documented by Deutsche Grammophon since 1987, seven Grammy Awards including two unprecedented "Best Classical" Album, three Gramophone awards, and performances in major concert venues throughout the world. Aside from all their successes, Emerson is certainly at home with Ann Arbor, Saturday's performance marking their 13th UMS appearance since 1989.

What was so special about Friday night’s performance was that the quartet became a trio; Eugene Drucker (violinist), sitting in on viola for an absent Larry Dutton who was on leave for medical reasons. In addition pianist Wu Han, co - director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center joined the trio for the second half of the program on the Brahm’s Piano Quartet, Op. 25, making her UMS debut. I had the unique and exciting experience of turning pages for Wu Han. In our 6:00 PM rehearsal, we spoke about our summers. I had the privilege of being at the Aspen Music Festival and saw Wu Han and Emerson there earlier in the season, making our meeting a fun experience to reconnect and talk about our summer in the mountains. Like old friends we chatted in between rehearsal breaks, while we worked together to connect her laptop to the wireless internet connection in the Rackham Building.

After the show, Emerson greeted a list of guests in the green room, including many old friends most of whom were UM School of Music, Theater and Dance faculty. The event ended with a signing, sponsored by Borders Books. Later that evening, David Finckel and Wu Han were spotted outside the Power Center, chatting and laughing in the middle of a tent city of students that had assembled for the following morning’s Royal Shakespeare Company Student Ticket Sale! It was no surprise that UM music students spotted the duo immediately, and posed for pictures taken in the early morning hours, by none other than UMS President, Ken Fischer.